Johto Journeys Redux
by Luminous Fish
Summary: Rewrite - Kaida and Nila are two friends released into a Pokémon world filled with guidebook boy, a fashion disaster, a cheese and cookie monster, and the human bottomless pit. Special guest appearance from the weirdo in the iron - sorry, steel - mask.
1. Before 1

**A/N -**

There have been no updates on Johto Journeys for quite some time. This has been due to work, school, writer's block, etc. Also, we decided to rewrite it to include a better time frame. Instead of trainers randomly wandering around all year/all their lives, they now have a time limit to complete the gym and league challenge. All will become clear.

As this is a complete rewrite, there is no need to read Johto Journeys first. Much of Johto Journeys has been incorporated into this new version of the story, so a lot of the scenes are the same. However, there are some changes and many additions.

As always, we disclaim. We do not own Pokémon, as much as we wish we did...

I have included some links on our profile about deviantart/livejournal. Click if you are interested.

Please, read and review.

* * *

(BEFORE)

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock._

Kaida was tapping her pencil incessantly on the desk. Her leg drummed restlessly in rhythm, yet she was unaware of her actions, instead focusing her green eyes on the large, silver clock hanging above the head of her science teacher. Beside her sat her best friend, Nila, whose right eye twitched in annoyance at the short, red haired girl's antics. Kaida was supposed to be helping her with the 'fun' science test that their teacher had assigned them for the last lesson of term but, instead, Kaida's concentration was shattered by thoughts of the upcoming events of the next few days. Nila had quickly realised her friend was a lost cause, and she would have to complete the measuring out of the so-called forensic evidence by herself, but it didn't mean Kaida was supposed to distract her too.

"Well," the teacher's voice chimed out over the classroom. "Have you found the culprit? Two more minutes."

Nila elbowed Kaida sharply. Kaida jolted and her chin, previously resting on the hand Nila had jogged, fell and landed with a crack on the desk. She yelped, straightened up in her stool, and rubbed her red jaw indignantly. Nila just glared.

"What were we even doing?" Kaida asked, returning to the present for the moment to examine the workspace. "Something about finding powder on the body...?"

"Simple particle analysis ruled out granulated sugar, which is crystalline," Nila explained. "Then I tested solubility to rule out flour, and, finally," she grumbled, "I was allowed to use the flame test, which would solve it in about two seconds."

Kaida's eyes had reverted to the clock. Nila gave up and muttered something about irritating best friends and patronising school teachers. Kaida ignored her, half because she was used to Nila's complaints about being treated like she had the mental age of a four year-old, and half because she so more excited about the next few days – months – that she couldn't bring herself to pretend to care for even a second. It would be this weekend that they were finally old enough to compete in the summer Pokémon League tournament. School ended on Friday – that very day – and the gyms opened on Monday. However, more importantly, at the weekend, they would receive their starter Pokémon. As they lived in New Bark Town, Johto, they were traditionally given the choice of Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile.

Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile? The choice was obvious for Kaida. She had wanted a Cyndaquil ever since she could remember. She had watched Professor Elm hand out Pokémon year after year and she knew that she _had_ to have a Cyndaquil. She would get up extra early to ensure that she was near the front of the queue and could obtain her desired Pokémon at all costs. Nila had already dashed her ideas of camping outside the lab that night by threatening to tell her mother because she thought Kaida was being stupid. But how could Kaida help herself? Ah, Cyndaquil. So sweet and fiery and cute… She just couldn't wait! Waiting meant enduring the hellish last days of school, dragging out like decades, with pointless end of term assignments, exam and essay hand backs, and Nila grousing when she got anything under ninety percent, like the giant freak she was.

"Nila, have you found the answer?"

"Yes, Mr Dutton," Nila said in a tone that clearly expressed her extreme boredom. "B."

Quite a few heads had cocked their ears in her direction.

"Nila!" Mr Dutton snapped. "Not everyone else was finished!"

Nila rolled her brown eyes. "Pity."

Mr Dutton was about to open his mouth to reprimand her again when, from across the room, Chris Brown let out a whoop of triumph, "Mr Dutton keeps naughty books in his drawer!"

Chris had sneaked up to the desk and opened several of the drawers, emptying the contents onto the table and the floor. He sat in the teacher's chair, with his feet on the table, and was thumbing through it. Mr Dutton rushed to his side and his face turned a shocking shade of red. He blustered for a moment before snatching it away.

"This is most certainly _not _mine," he insisted. "Chris, go back to your seat."

Smirking, the boy let his feet fall heavily to the ground before sloping to the back of the classroom.

"Tidy up!" Mr Dutton ordered. His face was still furiously red.

"But we haven't shared the results yet!" Kitty Young said. Her blue eyes were shockingly wide at the thought of not confirming her answers.

"It's B," Kaida said, quite eager to pack and leave. "Nila says so."

Kitty gave both Kaida and Nila a dirty look and looked back at their teacher eagerly. "Well?"

"It was B," Mr Dutton said, coughing. "Now, please, tidy up your equipment."

There was a nasty, shrieking sound as students pushed back their stools, the legs scraping on the floor. They washed out their test tubes, returned the powders, and tidied all their equipment away. Kaida almost dropped and smashed several beakers in her haste to finish so they could leave. Nila grabbed them from her just in time and instructed her to put the wide, goofy goggles and the tattered aprons away instead: she would have a difficult time breaking any of those. They had just finished when the school bell rang and several people cheered at the sound of it.

"All right then," Mr Dutton said wearily. "Have a good summer. Go."

"You too, sir," Chris Brown said, winking. He was almost at the door when he called back, "And bring us back some more of that reading material!"

"Chris!" Mr Dutton yelled, but Chris was already gone.

Kaida grabbed Nila's arm, ignoring her friend's attempts to get free, and dragged her through the door and into the crushing crowd in the corridor. Nila soon released escape attempts were futile and started to help Kaida along. Helping, of course, consisted of jamming elbows into the sides of any person squishing them as they shuffled their way to the exit. The noise in the corridor was, naturally, an excited babble: summer was beginning, and with this came not only freedom from school, but _Pokémon_. Kaida's gleeful thoughts were filled with plans of Cyndaquil and battling and training. She'd only be a rookie, and so not expected to go far, but she wouldn't let that stop her! She and Nila had been obsessed since birth: they knew _everything_ necessary to become amazing trainers.

They emerged from the building to the sunny skies over New Bark Town. Kaida hurried down the steps, eager to get away from the school, but she was jostled from behind and ended up falling rather spectacularly down the steps, bowling over a girl with long, shining blonde hair. Kaida groaned and pulled herself off the girl, apologising briefly before checking her knees. She could hear Nila laughing at the top of the steps but Kaida ignored her as she poked the fabric on her legs; she had torn straight through her tights. Oops. She glanced over to the other girl, about to check she was all right, when she realised who it was. The other girl made the same realisation at the same time, and shrunk back away from her.

"Eew. Kaida!" Mary-Ann yelled. "You giant, clumsy oaf."

This made Nila burst out into more laughter at the thought of anyone calling Kaida a giant. Kaida, on the other hand, glared up at her friend; this was the support she received when faced with her rival! She turned her back on Nila and glared at Mary-Ann.

"It wasn't _my _fault," she objected. "I said I'm sorry!"

Mary-Ann glared back and both girls were relentless in the scowling expressions for a moment. Then Mary-Ann snorted and tossed her head. She whipped around, her long hair hitting Kaida in the face, and stalked off. Kaida swore quite loudly as Nila ambled down the steps to stand beside her.

"You're always so much help," Kaida said resentfully.

Nila shrugged. "It's funny."

Nila was now on the receiving end of Kaida's glares. Unfortunately for Kaida, she was immune. Instead she rolled her eyes and said, "Let's go home."

Kaida and Nila lived in houses adjacent to each other, and had done since Nila's family had moved to New Bark Town when she was four. They had been best friends since they had met and had been involved in an argument over which Eevee evolution was the coolest. Kaida had argued for Flareon, Nila for Umbreon, and it had ended in tears as Kaida had whacked Nila over the head with a plastic spade and Nila retaliated by pushing Kaida in the pond. They had been separated for about a week but, after that, managed to play quite amicably. They had also formed an alliance against Nila's elder brother, Connor, and his friend, Charlie. Now, at fourteen, Connor had somewhat grown up and no longer tormented them; the same was not true for Charlie.

"Kaida!" A loud voice boomed and, from Nila's doorway, a blond head merged. "Nila!"

"Oh," Nila said flatly. "It's you."

Charlie bounded towards her and grabbed her in a rib crushing hug, lifting her clear off the ground. "You love me really!" he cried, receiving only a demand to let her go and then, when this was ignored, a harsh kick in the shins. He dropped her swiftly. "Ow! You're a menace!" He turned on Kaida next, his eyes lighting up. "Kaida!"

"No you don't!" Kaida attempted to run but failed and was scooped up by the tall boy. "You're hurting me!"

Charlie did drop her a second after that, to his credit, but Kaida still gave him the nastiest look she could muster when he put her down. He grinned cheerfully down at her, completely disregarding her sullen face, and then ran back into the house yelling, "Quick, Connor will eat all the muffins!"

Well, Kaida wouldn't say no to a muffin. She followed him in while Nila ducked into the bathroom. Kaida chucked her schoolbag in the hallway and walked into the kitchen, where all that was on display was a bowl of fruit. Where were the muffins? She took one look at Charlie, who was leaning casually against the counter, and realised that, if there ever were any muffins, they were long gone.

"Loser!" Charlie taunted. "Maybe if you liked electricity instead of fire, you'd be a bit quicker!"

This made little sense, but it was a common quarrel between them.

"What is your obsession with fire anyway?" Charlie pulled a mock disgusted face. "It's so lame."

Kaida puffed up her small chest in indignation. "Fire is not lame! Fire is awesomely powerful! It can beat your stupid electric Pokémon any day!"

"How can you even say that?" Charlie demanded. "Think of what electricity has done for us! It runs your household appliances. Do you want to live in a cave?"

Kaida blustered. "Well, if you were in a cave, at least you could light a fire," she retorted. "We wouldn't have developed all the fancy electric stuff if we had frozen to death in the winter!"

Charlie scoffed, waving a dismissive hand at her. "Pfft. Times have moved on. Electricity is way forwards! Think of the awesome power of lightning in a storm. The roar of thunder and the flash of light!" His eyes glazed over. "It's incredible."

"A nice warm, cosy fire," Kaida riposted. "Fire is way better."

"No way!"

The next few minutes only comprised of the most base arguments, including, "is not" and "is too." They were only snapped out of their fight by a rustling sound as a round Pokémon sped out from behind two large backpacks. The Pokémon, a Voltorb, rolled around Charlie's legs, a wide grin on its polished surface. Kaida's eyes moved over to the backpacks and back to Charlie.

"You're going today?" she asked. Then, childishly, she added, "That's cheating!"

The gyms didn't officially open until Monday, but many trainers actually would set out before then, especially if they lived in a place like New Bark, which had no gyms.

"They're going to Hoenn," Nila explained, appearing behind Kaida. "They've got to get their boat."

"Ooh," Kaida said happily. "Does that mean we're free from then for the whole summer holiday?"

"Pretty much," Nila said. She wasn't smiling but she still looked pleased.

"I'm hurt," Charlie claimed, clutching his heart. "Really hurt."

"We don't care," Kaida and Nila chorused.

Voltorb giggled at this and rammed into Charlie's legs. Charlie almost fell over and, because Nila and Kaida laughed, Voltorb decided to do it again. Charlie jumped out of the way just in time, leaving his Pokémon to smack into the wall instead. It bounced back easily enough but rolled around, a little dazed, while Charlie lectured it on being a traitor.

"Charlie ate all the muffins," Kaida said, taking the opportunity while the older boy was distracted to complain to Nila. "He's such a fatty!"

Nila narrowed her eyes. While Charlie was distracted with Voltorb, she walked over to the fridge and rooted around for Charlie's favourite toffee yoghurt, which her Mum had especially bought for him. It was an enormous pot, so she grabbed two spoons and Kaida and Nila slunk upstairs to finish it off.

"He gets our muffins," Nila said, "then we get his yoghurt."

"Mm," Kaida mumbled in agreement. It was very good yoghurt indeed!

Nila's room had dark blue carpet and walls and was adorned with various Pokémon posters. Most of the featured Pokémon were dark, including several of Nila's all time favourite, Umbreon, as well as Sneasel, Tyranitar, and one Kaida could appreciate, Houndour. Kaida didn't like the poster of the colossal Tyranitar: she always felt it was watching her. That day, Tyranitar was partially blocked by the large bag on top of Nila's chest-of-drawers; this was stuffed to the brim with all the necessary items for their upcoming journey. Kaida had had hers packed for ages, all in eager anticipation for her journey. She had stocked up with Pokéballs, dried food, tenting equipment, and all of her clothes. It was always better to travel in groups, she thought, as she and Nila could share many things, like their tent, giving them less to carry.

Kaida's brow wrinkled as a thought struck her. "Do you have–"

"Yes."

"And–"

"Yes."

"Even–"

"YES."

"OK," Kaida said meekly. But then... "Ooh, and–"

Nila threw her spoon at Kaida's head.

Once they had scraped the pot clean, they took it back downstairs and made sure Charlie, now pouring over a giant map on the kitchen table with Connor, caught a good look. At first it didn't register but then he gasped and pointed a shaking hand at them.

"My yoghurt!" he cried.

"It's _my _house," Nila said triumphantly.

This didn't stop Charlie's outrage. "Your Mum got that for me especially!"

Connor, beside his friend, gave a small, longsuffering sigh at the squabble between his sister and best friend, and went promptly back to examining the map. It was of Hoenn, and Connor seemed to be finalising their plans. Hoenn was quite a difficult region to navigate, and there was no practical route to take that would allow a trainer to reach the all the gyms quickly and logically. Connor clearly didn't want to get behind, since he only had the summer holidays to complete his gym challenges. He was a Pokémon prodigy, Kaida thought, since he had managed to defeat all the gym leaders in his first year of training, and had managed to get into the top sixteen of the Silver Conference. It wasn't unheard of, but it was extremely rare. Kaida was determined that she and Nila would do just as well.

Charlie and Connor left for New Bark's small port shortly after dinner. Kaida stayed over to watch the battling channel with Nila for a while but, once they realised they had seen several of the matches before, they decided to turn it off and wandered over to Kaida's. Jane, a tall, slender red head, was bustling around the kitchen, and she was quick to grab her daughter and Nila and smother them both in slobbery kisses. Nila flinched and Kaida pulled away in disgust.

"Mum!" she protested, wiping her cheek.

"I missed you," Jane said, cheeks rosy and her eyes gleaming almost feverishly.

"So..." Kaida said, as she and Nila inched away. "What've you been doing?"

"I have brownies," she chimed.

Kaida and Nila exchanged an alarmed look.

"They're nice and soft and chocolaty!"

"Um, sounds good," Kaida said tentatively. "I'm a bit full though. Nila and I ate _loads_ for dinner." A cough. "Um, did you make them?"

"No. Just bought them."

"Oh, OK," Kaida said, perking up. "I suppose I do have a bit of room them."

"Me too," Nila agreed.

A bit of room turned into five brownies a piece. They were very good. It was necessary to check before eating anything Jane offered because, in the twelve years Kaida had lived with Jane, it was a miracle she hadn't died from food poisoning. Fortunately Jane was normally too busy to cook, and bought unhealthy – yet edible – ready meals, or Kaida went and ate at Nila's. When Jane tried to bake, in particular, the results were always atrocious.

"So glad she bought these," Kaida muttered.

Nila nodded. She then shivered at a particularly bad memory of Jane's bread. It had tasted like rotten feet...

Jane walked back into the room, a bright smile on her face, and a Vulpix following her. When Vulpix saw Kaida, she ran up to her and nuzzled her hand. Kaida patted her head and fed it part of a brownie. This had to be the reason she loved fire Pokémon so much. They were so cute and fiery...

"I can't wait until you get your first Pokémon!" Jane squealed, clapping her hands together at the sight of her daughter and her Vulpix. "I could teach it some moves..."

Jane had once been an extraordinary trainer. She had bested gym leader after gym leader and had toured many places from the neighbouring region of Kanto to places much further away like Sinnoh and Hoenn. She had even been to the Orange and Sevii Islands. Then, one day, she had decided it was time to settle down. She rejected many offers to become part of gyms or, allegedly, part of one of the elite teams of one of the regions – she wouldn't say who – and instead had married Kaida's father, who was a minor researcher at Professor Elm's lab, and had had Kaida.

Now she worked, quite profitably, as a trainer and move tutor for other people's Pokémon. People would pay her a reasonable sum to teach their Pokémon moves they could not naturally acquire. She could even help them with battling techniques, stamina, power, and almost anything imaginable.

Unfortunately she was one of those people who thought Pokémon were a great deal cuter than her newborn baby. Kaida had thus been brought up in the household of a Pokémon maniac.

"Anyway," Jane said, snapping out of her daydream about her daughter's first Pokémon. "I was thinking of baking some cake."

Kaida and Nila blanched.

"Well, we need to go to bed soon," Kaida said quickly, despite the fact it was still early.

"Well you could have some for breakfast," Jane suggested. Her eyes lit up. "A treat."

"My teeth might drop out," Nila said. She paused and injected fake shyness into her voice. "But maybe you could wrap some up and pack it in our bags so we can have it for lunch when we set off tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Jane said, beaming. "OK, off to bed with you." Nila and Kaida raised their eyebrows as it was only eight o'clock. "You need to be up early tomorrow to get your Pokémon!"

They decided not to argue, and Kaida asked Nila if she'd double check that Kaida had packed everything. They walked up the stairs and checked that Jane was out of earshot.

"So, those cakes," Kaida muttered.

"Yeah, as soon as we're out of eyesight we'll chuck them," Nila murmured.

Kaida grimaced. "And mercy and pity on whatever fool of a Pokémon might stumble across them and try to eat them."

They reached the top of the landing.

"Pokémon Rumble?" Kaida asked, gesturing towards her room.

Nila sighed. "If we must."

Kaida's room was far more Pokémon obsessed than Nila's. The floor was dark red, the walls a slightly lighter shade, and all the furniture was red and black to match. The colour of walls was only known from Kaida and Nila's memories, since every inch was covered in posters and drawings of Pokémon, the vast majority of them the fire type. Next to Kaida's bed – which was currently covered with Growlithe sheets – was a large mound of soft toys. There were many Cyndaquil, a few of its evolve forms, then odds and ends with three Ponyta, two Growlithe, a few Charmander, one large Charizard, a mini Lugia, and a Moltres. These were just a few of the selection on top: there were many more buried underneath. If Nila ever wanted to threaten Kaida – or rile her – she only had to threaten to burn her plushie pile. It was an effective, yet risky, move.

Kaida settled down on her soft rug – in the shape of a flame – and patted the floor. Nila made a show of reluctance as she sat on the floor next to her friend while Kaida reached to switch the television and game platform on. She inserted Pokémon Rumble and handed Nila one of the controllers.

"Here ya go," she said cheerfully. At Nila's unimpressed look, she added, "I don't know why you bother to pretend to hate it. We both know that you stole it from me!"

Nila had claimed the game was rubbish reflection on Pokémon and all you did was bash 'A' and 'B' about to randomly attack. However, Nila also had an obsessive personality, so when she had failed to complete the game, she had sneaked into Kaida's room, stolen it, and sat up for a whole night trying to finish the game. It was a long game. Nila's parents had discovered her still playing the next morning – after she hadn't come down for breakfast – and had taken her TV and game platform away. The game had been returned to Kaida – who hadn't even noticed it was gone – by a sheepish Nila, who had been forced to apologise to not only Kaida but her whole family. Jane had just patted Nila on the head and given her a stale cookie, which Nila had eaten reluctantly and resentfully in front of her glaring parents. Kaida had laughed. A lot.

"I can't help it," Nila said. Her eye twitched, as it did from both irritation and obsessive thoughts. "It's stupidly addicting." She hastened to add, "Rubbish, too, but... endless." Her eyes narrowed at the last word.

"I can't help that it has so many ranks," Kaida said. She gave a small whoop as the game finally loaded. "Come on, let's go to the Fiery Furnace. They have some really powerful Magmortar and Rapidash that you can get on the Master Level."

Nila made a grumpy noise, but she selected her Pokémon anyway.

"You're just sour this is Sinnoh addition and it doesn't have Umbreon in it," Kaida accused.

Nila shrugged. She was using a Skuntank instead. She hadn't acquired a good Weavile yet, which she was also irritable about. "I'll Poison Gas you," she warned.

"You can't hurt me! I'm on your team!" Kaida said, outraged and also a little confused, since their attacks – unrealistically as Nila had pointed out before – did not work on each other.

Nila shook her head. "I know. It just has that puff of purple that means you won't be able to see what you're doing."

Kaida elbowed her.

After the Fiery Furnace level – which included a lot of Nila snarking at Kaida's so-called tactics – they switched to Pokémon Rumble Hoenn, which included their favourite scene of what was supposed to be a Regice.

"Come on, smack it!" Kaida yelped.

Nila was too busy trying to lure it away from Kaida. "Switch Pokémon, idiot! You're going to die. Do you want us to lose a life? You have no concept of planning at all."

"It's almost dead. I'll be fine!" Kaida declared. A second later, her Pokémon was knocked out. "Oops."

Nila gave Kaida a dirty look. "Now we only have one life left. Get back into the fight quickly... look, pick that... I'm going to die here if you don't hurry up. No, stop hitting him, use the Poison Gas. Do you have any concept of tactics at all?"

"Um, no?" Kaida said. "You just need to keep hitting it."

Nila glared. "How did you get this far?"

"Skill!"

Nila gave a derisive snort at that.

Despite the squabbling, which was a norm for them when they played video games, Kaida and Nila managed to bring down Regice, which then cried out its own name in a squeaky, mechanical tone. It flopped to the floor, fainting. Sadly, they hadn't managed to capture it. However, both girls laughing – as they always were after listening to that particular voiceover – so they didn't care.

"It sounds like a robot on helium!" Kaida giggled.

Nila nodded. "It's ridiculous."

"We have to find a Regice one day to see if it's true!" Kaida punched the air. "It's gonna be great. I don't care if it's legendary class and hardly anyone has seen it..." A second later, she said, "Of course, I need to see Lugia first..."

She looked up at her giant Lugia poster. Lugia was underwater, which made it a stark contrast to the fiery backgrounds in pretty much every other poster in her room. She couldn't help but love Lugia though. She'd seen drawings of the elusive Pokémon and had fallen in love. It looked so amazing. Ho-oh might be Johto's legendary fire alternative, but it kind of looked like a brightly coloured chicken. She wasn't a fan, even if the supposed attack of Sacred Fire would be amazing to see. No, apart from that, she would take a sighting of Lugia in a heartbeat.

"All right, I guess I better go then," Nila said, getting up and brushing hairs from the rug from her legs.

She and Kaida walked into the hall and Kaida saw Nila was looking around a little nervously, glancing up and down the corridor.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Kaida said.

She knew exactly why Nila was eager to escape. Unfortunately, it was not her lucky day.

"Who's there?" a voice demanded.

"Um, me?" Kaida said.

"Who is _me_?" the voice snapped.

"Kaida," Kaida said. "And Nila is here too."

Nila glared and mouthed, "Traitor!"

"And it was you who was causing the uproar?"

They were often very loud playing video games. Another oops.

"Yes, grandma. Sorry, grandma."

"Come in here! Both of you!"

Reluctantly Kaida and Nila walked up to the ajar door and pushed it open. They ended a room to see an old woman rocking gently on a rocking chair in the middle of the room. She had a walking stick propped up beside her and was knitting what appeared to be an extremely lumpy pink scarf. Oh, _hell_, Kaida thought, hoping desperately it wasn't for her. It probably was. Life hated her.

"Come closer you two," Margaret commanded. "I'm a poor old woman and my legs aren't what they used to be."

Neither Nila nor Kaida had the guts to call Margaret out on her boldfaced lie. Margaret might occasionally wheel herself about on a wheelchair, or lean on her stick, but she could walk perfectly well if she had to. She liked people to underestimate her and cater for her every need. She also liked others to fear her. This was why she particularly enjoyed the wheelchair and her walking stick because she could run people over and hit them.

"Closer!" Margaret ordered.

Nila and Kaida shuffled forwards a few paces.

"Get in front of me right this instant!" Margaret half-screamed.

They were there in an instant and Margaret grabbed her stick from beside her and dealt them two sharp blows each.

"Don't think I don't know what you two are doing! My own _granddaughters_!"

Yes, Margaret was fine in body, but apparently not in mind. Everyone had to resign themselves to the fact that, no matter what they said, Margaret was completely stubborn and would never concede to them. Therefore there was no point in attempting to explain that Nila was _not _Margaret's granddaughter. Still, Kaida thought, it was better than when she mixed the pair of them up. It was a little confusing because they looked nothing alike.

"I want some tea!" Margaret demanded.

She was perfectly able to get it herself, Kaida thought, irritated, but she just liked to order people around. She stopped herself from sighing – that would earn her another vicious whack from the stick – and walked back downstairs.

"Now, Kaida," Margaret said to Nila. "I'm glad you've finally grown. I thought you were going to be a midget forever! I asked myself why you couldn't inherit the genes from me and your mother."

As much as Nila feared Margaret – and for good reason – she did always marvel at the extent of Margaret's delusions compared with her ability to function reasonably normally. In this case, not only was she mixing Nila up with her real granddaughter, but she seemed to be under misconception that she herself was tall. Jane, Kaida's mother, was around six foot, but Margaret was only a little taller than Kaida. Kaida had evidently inherited her tiny build from her.

"Now go get me some tea," Margaret said.

"You just sent–OW!"

Nila dodged the second blow.

"Don't speak back to your elders and betters!" Margaret screeched. "And don't run away from me!"

"You wanted tea," Nila said, dashing from the room.

"Don't talk back to me!" Margaret howled after her.

But that was it, Nila was out of there. She had collected enough bruises for one day.

"See you tomorrow!" Nila called to Kaida.

She didn't wait for a response. Kaida might have tried to persuade her to stay by bribing her with more lovely store-bought brownies.

Kaida heard someone coming down the stairs and glanced out of the kitchen just in time to see Nila dart out the door and slam it behind her. She scowled. Coward. Then again, it was better to be a coward as far as Margaret was concerned. She did _not _accept insubordination. Margaret would possibly be the scariest military commander _ever_. There would be no disobedience or mutiny under _her _watch.

Kaida finished the tea and brought it upstairs to Margaret. She handed it over and Margaret took a sip before spitting it out.

"Bleurgh!" Margaret scowled. "Are you trying to poison me?"

"Sorry," Kaida apologised. "I can go make more…?"

"No, don't bother. It will be just as rubbish. Help me into bed and that clean that up!"

Kaida helped support her grandmother over to the bed, which was a considerable feat since Margaret was a lot heavier than her small frame suggested. Kaida then turned to leave when she felt the polished stick land on her shoulder. She gulped and turned around.

"Why have you shrunk?" Margaret asked suspiciously.

"I haven't shrunk."

"Yes, you have," Margaret said angrily. "Don't contradict me."

That was Nila, you fool, Kaida thought. She didn't dare voice these thoughts.

"And your hair! It was dark brown and now it is that horrible shade of red!"

"Thanks!" Kaida spluttered.

"You know how I feel about hair dye!" Margaret said, whacking her stick onto Kaida's arm.

"Yeah," Kaida said, now sufficiently annoyed to get some guts and argue back. "You liked it until you got so many greys it couldn't cover it. Then you got sour and now no one else can use it!"

"How _dare _you!"

Kaida jumped backwards before she could land another hit. She ran towards the door. She was about to leave the room when she poked her head back around and yelled, "It wasn't dyed anyway!"

She dodged, swiftly, as Margaret threw her stick at her. It clattered off the wall with a long bang. That was going to leave a dent. Hopefully her grandmother would have forgotten about this in the morning. Otherwise Kaida was dead.

Kaida padded back downstairs, entered the kitchen, and was immediately grabbed by her mother who was covered in cake mix. Kaida's face came dangerously close to a spatula covered

"Kaida sweetie can you go feed the guests please. I'm a little..." She looked down at herself. "Well you know, be a dear, the bowls are on the table outside." She smiled and returned to her baking, or mess making. The latter was a more apt description.

"Fine," Kaida said, deciding not to bring up that her mother had just told her to go to bed.

Kaida pushed open the back door of the kitchen and walked out into the madhouse. A large garden stretched before her, with a decent sized pond for any water Pokémon, and some patches of rocks, shrubs, and trees for the land Pokémon.

"OK, losers. Dinnertime," Kaida yelled, picking up two dishes and banging them together.

Heads turned from every corner of the garden as Kaida poured the home made food into many little bowls before carrying them to various areas of the garden. She fed some wriggling Wurmple and Caterpie, who slid down from the trees; next were a Geodude and a Nosepass situated in the rockery; and after came a Teddiursa and a Gliscor, who were huddled in a makeshift cave. She spotted a Magikarp floating around the pond, when she went to the pool to feed the two Goldeen, and wondered what on earth could be taught to a Magikarp to make it less of a joke. Perhaps a slap attack, as nobody would want to be slapped in the face with a wet fish... She was pulled out of her daydream when she was tackled in the back of the legs by a Poochyena.

"Ooof!"

Kaida landed face down in the grass. She turned her head to glare at the Pokémon, who was now being advanced on by an angry Geodude, whose dinner had been scattered over the lawn.

"Damn dark Pokémon," Kaida said angrily.

"You can't damn dark Pokémon," Nila said.

Kaida turned her body and sat up to see her friend leaning over the fence.

"Spectacular fall by the way. Beautiful landing. Ten out of ten." Nila smirked

"Go play with a Metagross," Kaida said, glaring.

She walked the width of the garden and hopped up onto a bench to reach eye level with Nila.

"Well, aren't you pleasant this evening," Nila said genially.

"And you are very chicken-ish this evening," Kaida muttered.

"Oh come on," Nila said. She then actually pouted. It was creepy. "Wild Gengar would run from your grandmother. She is a psycho."

"Nila!" a voice called.

"Yes, Mother," Nila yelled back.

She gave Kaida a desperate look that begged Kaida to save her.

"Have you packed for tomorrow?" Nila's mother demanded.

"Yes, mother," Nila repeated wearily.

"Have you packed enough clean underwear?"

"Yes, I have!" Nila screamed back. She scowled. "I'm a big girl now, Mother."

"Well, I found your black, lacy pair! Do you want me to pack them?"

"What?" Nila yelped. She leapt back from the fence in shock. "I don't own any!"

"Hmm," Nila's mother mused. "Maybe they are your brother's then."

"What?" Nila cried, mortified.

At this statement Jane's head popped out of the kitchen window.

"What are you shouting about?" Jane asked. She spotted Nila's mother and smiled. "Hello, Kate."

"Oh, we are just discussing the whereabouts of Nila's underwear," Kaida answered simply.

Jane nodded as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence. "I was just thinking, Kaida," she thought. "Will there be anyone else travelling with you? Will they want cake? Any boys? I know how much growing boys eat..." She ducked back into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

"Boys?" Kate queried.

"Yes, Mother." Nila gnashed her teeth, wondering what her mother wanted now.

"Shall I pack some condoms?"

"WHAT?" Nila screamed.

Kaida burst into fits of laughter.

Nila wasn't finished. Outraged, she shouted, "I'm _twelve,_ mother."

Nila's mother tutted. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Excuse me while I kill my mother," Nila muttered to a hysterical Kaida before storming back into her house, slamming the door with as much force as she could muster.

Kaida didn't stop laughing for a long time.


	2. Before 2

(BEFORE)

It was late.

Kaida couldn't sleep.

She glanced out of the window. It was an easy clamber down the side of the house and then she only had to jump over the garden fence. From there she could climb up to Nila's bedroom and keep her company. After all, Nila was also receiving her first Pokémon the next day and would doubtless be in the same nervous state as Kaida. She would be glad that Kaida visited! With that in mind, Kaida opened her window and shimmied down the building. She hopped over the low fence and climbed into her next door neighbour's shed. That required getting onto the bins and then pulling herself up onto the top of the wooden building. From there, Kaida tapped the window to let Nila know she was there so she could be let in.

There was no response.

Kaida was now cold – she was in her pyjamas and it was night time – and she grew bored and impatient quickly. She tapped on the window harder. There was still no reply. She hit it again. Finally, she thought she heard movement and, sure enough, Nila pushed back the navy curtains, yanked the window open, and stuck her head out the window. Her dark hair was sticking up like she had been badly electrocuted. Kaida stifled a laugh.

"What?" Nila asked grumpily.

"I've come to keep you company," Kaida informed her, nudging her friend out of the way and climbing through the window. "I know you must be a nervous, like me, so I thought we could wait together."

Kaida crossed Nila's room and flopped on her bed. She saw Nila close the window, pull back across the curtains, and then the girl turned around and folded her arms across her chest, looking quite irritable.

"Phew, I'm glad we can wait together," Kaida said. "I can't wait until tomorrow! Cyndaquil! This whole thing must be giving everyone insomnia!"

"Actually," Nila said crossly, "I was asleep."

"Ah," Kaida said.

There wasn't much to add to that.

"Well," she attempted lamely, "now you're up you may as well stay up. We can play a game. Monopoly? Keep ourselves entertained!"

Nila's eye twitched. She walked over to the bed, pushed Kaida off, then curled under the covers and put a pillow under head. Kaida got off the floor, huffing, and sat back down on the bed.

"OK, maybe not monopoly. Scrabble? We could even do Pokémon scrabble. Wait, that might be a bit difficult. We could play Pokémon hangman though. Or Pictionary. Or Charades. That would be so fun! I bet you can't guess what I'm being."

"Cyndaquil," Nila said. Her voice was muffled through the pillow.

"How did you guess?" Kaida joked, delighted. "Aah," she squealed. "I can't wait for tomorrow. I have to have Cyndaquil. Fire and power and cuteness combined. It's gonna be great!"

"Yeah," Nila said. Her voice still sounded strange.

Kaida sighed and stared off into space. She daydreamed about her little cute Cyndaquil who would be a fierce and strong battler but sweet and shy afterwards. Most importantly, her Cyndaquil would _always_ be ready to snuggle.

"Ah Cyndaquil," Kaida said aloud. She rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Tomorrow you and I will finally meet!" Her eyes glazed over. "It is going to be so much fun. We'll be best friends forever and capture loads of cool Pokémon, especially lots of fire Pokémon… I want to catch every fire Pokémon there is and we can go on cool adventures and–"

She was cut off abruptly by a pillow whacking down on her head. She put her hands up to defend herself as Nila beat her with the pillow three more times.

"Aah!" Kaida protested. "What's your problem?"

Nila shoved her face into Kaida's, scowling furiously. Her eyes were red and her hair in an even more of a disarray than before. Grating out every word, Nila hissed, "I. Need. Sleep."

"Eek," Kaida said.

Frankly, Nila looked terrifying.

"Go back home or be quiet," Nila snapped.

Kaida didn't want to go back home. She didn't want to be quiet either, but didn't think she had much of a choice if she valued her life. Huffing, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she counted lots of Cyndaquil then she would drift off to sleep eventually…

The plan didn't work very well. Kaida got a few hours rest, where she drifted in and out of sleep while glancing anxiously at the clock, before Nila's alarm clock _finally _went off. However, to Kaida's horror, Nila slapped it onto snooze. That meant another _ten minutes_ before Nila would get up and this was even if she got up then… What if she hit snooze again? Kaida couldn't allow that to happen. Kaida had to make a sacrifice for the greater good of her and Cyndaquil. She had to brave Nila's wrath and make her get up.

Nila was _not _a morning person.

Gathering her nerve, Kaida inched forward towards her friend and then, suddenly so she wouldn't lose her nerve, she shoved her out of the bed. Nila grunted as she fell to the ground and Kaida closed her eyes and braced herself for any explosion. There was silence. Kaida tentatively opened her eyes and peered over the bed. She couldn't believe it. Nila had simply gone back to sleep.

Kaida tried talking loudly and stomping around the room but nothing seemed to have much effect. Nila did tell her to go away but Nila was known to sleep talk. Kaida sighed and wondered what to do next. She grabbed the alarm clock and held it against Nila's ear. However, when it went off, Nila's hand shot up and she grabbed it from Kaida and threw it across the room. It smashed against the wall and broke into about four pieces. Kaida gaped.

It was time for the last resort. Short of banging pots and pans – which probably would have little effect except for annoying Nila's family – there was only one other thing that Kaida could think to do. She went to bathroom and filled a jug up with icy cold water. She took it back to Nila's room and…

"ARGH!"

Nila sat up in a shot. Her soaked face swung from side to side as she looked for a culprit. Kaida had already retreated. She hid around the corner and watched Nila emerge from her room, muttering darkly as she headed for the bathroom.

"Well, you always like a shower in the morning. How was I to know you preferred the water to be hot?" Kaida muttered, looking down at the jug that she was still clutching.

Nila's head whipped around the bathroom door. Damn it, Kaida thought, she had the ears of a freaking bat. She didn't dare to speak that though, in case she angered the beast again.

A minute later and Kaida heard the shower turn on. Oh. Great. Nila was going to _shower_. Couldn't she have done that the previous night? Cyndaquil was waiting! They had to _go_.

Nila also insisted on eating breakfast but Kaida didn't let Nila finish before she dragged her out of the door. They rushed to Professor Elm's lab and, to Kaida's horror, there was a long queue trailing out the front, moving all around the side of the pale bricked building. Her jaw dropped.

"Nila!" she yelled. "This is all your fault! If you had just got up… What if all the Cyndaquil are gone?"

She punched Nila's arm. Hard.

"Ow," Nila said, rubbing her arm. She scowled darkly at Kaida. "It would serve you right for waking me up like that."

Kaida hit her again.

"If you had got up then I wouldn't have had to! And it seems like it was a waste of time… All the Cyndaquil are gonna be gone!"

Kaida pulled at her red hair. Cyndaquil… Her dreams were _shattered_ and it was all the fault of that _stupid_ Nila. She was supposed to be Kaida's _friend_! Now Kaida wouldn't have the cutest Pokémon to exist as a companion… She wouldn't have her first – of many – beloved fire Pokémon. Suddenly life didn't seem worth living. She sank to the ground in devastation.

"Get up," Nila said impatiently, with no sympathy at all for Kaida's plight. "You're blocking the queue."

"But… my Cyndaquil!" Kaida wailed.

"You don't even know there aren't any left," Nila pointed out. "Besides, if you don't get it now then you can always catch it later…"

"But… what if this is my _only_ chance?" Kaida cried. "My poor, poor Cyndaquil, taken by someone else who will never love you as much as I would."

Nila rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Get out of the emo corner. Pull yourself together."

She started to drag Kaida towards the door.

"I'm sure there are some left," Nila said, "so stop being stupid."

"Like you aren't exactly the same about Pokémon _you _like," Kaida complained.

It was true. Nila was completely obsessed with Umbreon. Kaida, on the other hand, was more partial to the beautiful, bushy, flame wielding Flareon. Ah, Flareon. It was so cute with its fluffiness and cuteness and sweetness and Kaida wanted it so, so much…

Kaida's fantasy land full of Flareon was interrupted by a harsh poke in the shoulder by Nila, who was once again pushing Kaida forwards.

"You really think they have some left?" Kaida asked. She fretted, "But what if they're all gone?"

She stood on tiptoes in an attempt to see over the small crowd in front of them. This didn't help much as she was so much shorter than everyone else there. She elbowed her taller friend in the side.

"Can you see anything?" she demanded.

"They're in Pokéballs," Nila replied dryly, "and I don't have x-ray vision."

Kaida muttered furiously under her breath. She _had _to have the Cyndaquil. She loved it so much. Its cute little face, its back that erupted into those gorgeous flames, its killer moves like Flamethrower… It was perfect. And, since Kaida had decided she wanted to catch all the fire Pokémon and maybe become a fire gym leader someday, there was no better place to get started.

Cyndaquil…

There were murmurs in front. Professor Elm was, for some inexplicable reason, running out of Pokémon. Kaida's breath caught in her throat. _No_, that couldn't happen. She had put her name down for one of his Pokémon and he had guaranteed that he had enough for everyone on the list. She would have to receive something. But if it wasn't Cyndaquil…?

There was nothing wrong with Chikorita and Totodile of course, but Kaida _needed_ Cyndaquil. What was more, what if there weren't even any Chikorita or Totodile left? Would she have to have something else? Would it be good? If it was a fire Pokémon then maybe she wouldn't mind but really… Cyndaquil… It wasn't asking for that much.

Also, knowing Kaida's luck, the other Pokémon would probably be a Magikarp who would just splash around uselessly all day, refusing to evolve. She could see the next ten years of her life consisting of taking Magikarp to the pond to strength it up and perhaps even become a little bit decent… Her dreams would be ruined. No fire Pokémon… No fire gym… No _Cyndaquil_!

"Kaida," Nila said, cutting through her thoughts. "Remember _breathing_ is essential."

There were only a few Pokéballs when Kaida and Nila reached the front. Kaida elbowed Nila out of the way and launched herself at the table.

"Um, hello, Kaida," Professor Elm said, blinking. "Which one would you like then…? I must warn you…"

"Cyndaquil!" Kaida erupted.

She looked desperately between the two small piles of Pokéballs. One pile had to be for Cyndaquil, didn't it? It just had to be… She looked up at Professor Elm with wide, frantic eyes.

Professor Elm scratched the back of his head. "Well," he said, "I was just about to say… I've run out of Cyndaquil…"

Kaida stared.

Her world came crashing down.

Cyndaquil?

No…

"I'm very sorry, Kaida, but someone broke into the lab last night and stole some of the Pokémon. Luckily my assistant walked in on the perpetrators before they could take any more than a few… but they were all Cyndaquil."

"But," Kaida spluttered. "But… Cyndaquil."

"I'm very sorry, but you'll have to pick one of the other Pokémon," Professor Elm said, gesturing towards the two piles. "This pile is Totodile and this pile is Chikorita."

"There are a lot less of Totodile," Nila observed. "Did you say the person only stole Cyndaquil?"

"Actually, yes," Professor Elm said. "People just don't like to pick Chikorita."

"Why?" Nila asked.

"Well, a lot of people want to take up the challenge of the Pokémon gyms and most of the gyms do not match up favourably for Chikorita. A water Pokémon tends to be a better option. A fire Pokémon would be even better but there are no Cyndaquil left…"

Nila glanced at Kaida. The smaller girl was frozen. Nila considered poking her to see whether she was still responsive to the outside world but decided against it. First things first…

"I'd like Chikorita then," she said.

Professor Elm smiled. "You aren't the first person looking for a challenge. Here you go."

He handed Nila the Pokéball. Nila turned back to Kaida and poked her in the cheek. Failing that she tickled Kaida's side. That snapped Kaida back to life with a jolt.

"Would you like another Pokémon then, Kaida?" Professor Elm said.

"But…" Kaida said. "Can't you find the person who did it? You could take the Cyndaquil back…"

"We're looking," Professor Elm said. "According to my assistant culprits were young, children perhaps, and they seem to have left some evidence. But it will still take some time and I doubt you'll have time to wait for Cyndaquil and compete this year. Would you like to wait until next year?"

"I… I can't wait that long."

Thoughts of fire Pokémon like Growlithe, Ponyta, and Vulpix danced through Kaida's head. A year longer before she could start the adventure to find and capture them? No. She couldn't wait that long.

"So what is it going to be?" Professor Elm asked.

"I need to think..." Kaida said weakly.

"Well, you can always come back later," Elm suggested. "There should be some left. I still have enough left for everyone who signed up for them."

Kaida nodded her head slowly. The fact that there were no Cyndaquil still hadn't sunk in. She was numb.

"Come on," Nila said, tugging on Kaida's arm. "We have to go. We're holding up the queue."

Kaida's head drooped as she walked out of the lab. Instead of being the proud trainer of a new Cyndaquil, she had _nothing_.

"Look, it's going to be fine," Nila said. Her tone was a bit too brisk to be any comfort, but that was Nila. "You'll find other Cyndaquil and catch one."

"I will find Cyndaquil," Kaida said.

"Yeah, so we can look for it in the wild…"

"No," Kaida said firmly. "We're going to go and get those stolen Pokémon! Those children can't have gone far! We can find them and I'll return the Pokémon and then Professor Elm can give me one of the Cyndaquil! It is only fair!"

Nila blinked.

"Come on," Kaida said. "Let's go! Now!"

"But… our stuff!"

"No time for that! We'll go back for it. Come on!"

Kaida seized Nila's arm and started to run. They had to find this criminal. It was her chance to get a Cyndaquil. She wouldn't let _anything _stop her.

"But… our Pokédex?"

Kaida paused. OK. They could get them. Then they had to go.

After collecting the Pokédex from one of Professor Elm's aids, Kaida sought out her father, who worked in the lab under Professor Elm. Steve was basically Professor Elm's fix-it man, who dealt with the maintenance of machines, keeping the whole lab running smoothly. He had been promoted through the years so now was in charge of the whole building, which was quite a large operation. She found him out the back, in one of the smaller lab rooms, twiddling with one of the Pokéball scanners.

"Hey, Dad," Kaida greeted.

"Kaida!" Her father greeted her with a large, surprised smile. "Shouldn't you be off by now? And Nila too. Hi!"

Nila nodded at him in response.

"There are no Cyndaquil!" Kaida burst out. Her arms flailed in her frustration.

"Oh, Kaida!" Steve walked a few paces forwards and then paused. "I would hug you, but I'm covered in oil..."

"It's OK," Kaida said, regaining her composure. "I just wanted to ask about the break in."

Steven nodded. "Ah, yes. We're quite confident we'll be able to find out who it was because they used a key to get in. They only broke anything when they hurried to get out. Their goal was most definitely the Pokémon, and nothing else, and since they were children... That does narrow it down." He laughed. "I guess someone's child got hold of their work keys and broke in. Hopefully it will be cleared up soon."

Kaida scrunched up her nose as she thought. So it had been children, which could mean established trainers greedy for more Pokémon, but more likely meant children _under_ twelve, cross because they weren't allowed to join in and go off and have an adventure. She hurried Nila out the room and discussed her theory.

"Probably," Nila said. "Do you know who has children here?"

"No," Kaida said, "but we could probably find out." She turned her widest, most pleading look on Nila.

"Puppy dog eyes don't work on me," Nila said resolutely.

Kaida turned her wide eyed look into a glare instead. "It's your fault I don't have Cyndaquil."

Nila huffed. "Fine. Connor has a spare lock picking kit in his room."

They ran back to Nila's house, ignored her mother requesting to see Nila's new Pokémon, grabbed the kit, and ran back to the lab. Nila and Kaida had learnt a lot in their war against Charlie and Connor, including how to sneak into Connor's room to put itching powder into his underwear. Kaida fiddled with the lock while Nila kept watch, with her keen eyes and those freakishly attuned ears making sure no one would stumble across them. Finally there was a click and they were into the records room.

"OK, start looking," Kaida urged. "You take the big cabinet."

"Why me?" Nila demanded, as she slid past Kaida into the room.

Kaida took one last look into the corridor before shutting the door. She locked it shut behind them with a click and put Connor's lock picking kit back into the deep pockets of her black combat trousers. Then she turned to Nila and gestured her head in the direction of the filing cabinets. "You read faster!"

Nila rolled her eyes but had to admit Kaida was right. They worked through together until Kaida finally hit a name that made her pause.

"Mayu Young." She snapped the file shut.

Nila raised her eyebrows. "Is this just prejudice against Kitty?"

Kitty Young was a particularly annoying classmate, Kaida had to admit, but it wasn't just about that.

Nila frowned. "And I'm pretty sure neither of her parents work here."

Kaida nodded. This was true. However, Mayu's Aunt, mother of Mayu's cousin, who was her co-conspirator, _did. _Plus, they had both been in trouble for trying to steal Pokémon several times before.

"Well," Nila said, standing up and stretching her long body. "If you're sure. Doubt we'll be able to sneak back in here again, so you better be right."

"I am right," Kaida insisted. She shoved her file back into the cabinet and then, noticing it was askew, she tried to straighten up the edges. "Come on."

They sneaked back out the lab, greeting several lab workers on the way and generally trying to look inconspicuous. Once outside, Kaida suggested Nila release her Chikorita.

"We might have to fight them to get it back," Kaida reasoned. "If you can't use Chikorita..."

"Professor Elm normally trains them fairly well," Nila said doubtfully, "but sure..."

She released the small, grass Pokémon from its Pokéball. It looked around in some confusion, swinging its head from side to side, with its leaf whipping around. It was extremely unimpressive compared to Cyndaquil, Kaida thought privately, who could easily burn it to a toast with its amazing flame. She kept this to herself, however, as she didn't think Nila would appreciate these musings about her first Pokémon.

Chikorita finally looked up at Nila and gave her an appraising scan from head to toe. Nila looked back.

"Well," Kaida hissed, "say something."

"What are you supposed to say?" Nila asked her, not bothering to converse back in hushed tones.

"I dunno..." Kaida trailed off and tried to think. "Welcome? Introduce yourself?"

"I'm Nila," Nila said emotionlessly.

Kaida shoved Nila in the side. She could sound a bit more enthusiastic, considering she had her starter and Kaida didn't! If this was the way that Nila was going to treat her Pokémon... It was unacceptable! She sighed. Clearly Nila needed guidance. "Give Chikorita a hug!"

Both trainer and Pokémon shrank away from Kaida at that notion. Perhaps they _were_ suited to one another then.

"She doesn't like cuddles," Nila informed Kaida, rather obviously.

Chikorita nodded vehemently in agreement with this declaration.

"How do you know it's a girl?" Kaida asked curiously.

Chikorita, as a species of Pokémon, generally didn't have any specific markers to distinguish between male and female, so it could be tricky. This seemed to offend Chikorita, however, who glared at Kaida and proceeded to slam into her leg.

"OW!"

Nila burst out laughing. "Yeah, we'll get along nicely."

Kaida, clutching her leg in some pain, was not so amused.

Their first stop was the Young household, but, unsurprisingly, Mayu was not there. Her mother, however, did have a clue about her location, claiming Mayu had mentioned going to play at the park to the east. They headed there, and Kaida watched as Chikorita and Nila bonded in silence. She raised her eyebrow. Nila had quite a strange way of communicating with Pokémon, but both seemed perfectly content with it. Chikorita hurried ahead, whirling the leaf on its head, and Nila watched, thoroughly entertained when Chikorita used Tackle on a Pidgey that dared get too close. Kaida knew she wasn't going to be raising _her_ Cyndaquil like that: she would ignore Nila's scorn and there would be snuggles all around! Nila was the weird one!

New Bark was a small town, filled with pale bricked buildings with brightly coloured roofs, with the primary colours being red and blue tiles. It was a town where everyone seemed to know everyone else, so, when they reached the park and found Mayu wasn't there, it was easy to find a girl in the same year as her, dangling upside down from the swings, who told her Mayu and a group of other children had gone further east to the port.

New Bark's harbour was tiny, with a few small boats bobbing about in the water and a few more pulled up onto the shore. There, they found a man who pointed to the north when they enquired after Mayu. They continued north until they reached the tree line, and then paused for a brief lunch as even Kaida had to concede, however grudgingly, that they needed to eat. Nila fed Chikorita some Pokéchow and watched her stretch out contently under the warm sun; Nila's new Pokémon was less pleased when they had to leave it for the shade of the trees.

"It's no use," Nila said about an hour later. They were wandering in circles and were bound to get lost. It was a fool's errand. "It would be more logical to go back–"

Kaida whirled on her. "What?" she snapped. "Go back and tell the police? They can't do anything without proof and that could take ages!"

"No," Nila said slowly. "Go back and wait outside Mayu's house. She has to go home for dinner at some point. Her mother would go mental if she didn't. Then when she comes out then we can follow her."

Kaida paused. There was no denying the logic in that plan. It would save them a lot of wasted time of effort and had a far higher chance of succeeding. The only problem would be waiting for dinner time. Kaida knew she was going to get a bit antsy with frustration and impatience.

They were walking back into the main part of the town when they ran into a rather unwelcome face. Mary-Ann, waiting outside her large house on the outskirts, was on the porch with a Chikorita. Perched on top of her blonde head was a black beret: it looked ridiculous. Kaida couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, but was about to walk on until Mary-Ann looked up and saw her expression.

"Eew. You." She wrinkled her snub nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," Kaida said. She couldn't resist. "Why are you wearing that stupid hat?"

The beret wasn't just black. It was covered in black sequins. It was awful.

Mary-Ann bristled at the insult. "Just because you have a terrible fashion sense!" she yelled. She looked like she might shout something else nasty, but she spotted Nila's Chikorita. "You got one too," she said, in a nicer tone. She had never had any particular problem with Nila; her only enmity was with Kaida. "Is yours a boy or a girl?"

"Girl," Nila answered, as Kaida gave her a dirty look for conversing with her nemesis. "You?"

"Boy." Mary-Ann stroked her Chikorita's head and the green Pokémon preened. "He's very sweet."

Nila and her Chikorita exchanged a look. No, their relationship was nothing like that.

Mary-Ann turned back to Kaida. "What about _you?_" She sneered. "What did you get?"

"Um," Kaida said.

Mary-Ann burst out laughing. "You haven't got anything, have you?" she crowed, ecstatic about this news. "Did Professor Elm decide he couldn't possibly subject any poor Pokémon to _you_?"

"That's not it at all!" Kaida snapped defensively. "Someone stole the Cyndaquil! I have to find them."

"They probably ran away at the thought of you being their trainer," Mary-Ann jeered. "Who can blame them? You'd be awful. What do you know about Pokémon? You don't even have any!"

"Hello!" Kaida waved her hands at Mary-Ann's idiocy. "I help my mother look after them all the time!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Mary-Ann dismissed her. "I've had Pokémon since I could crawl."

It was true. Mary-Ann's father was quite busy with work and liked to spoil her with Pokémon. She'd been training them since she was young, although she hadn't been allowed to compete in any tournaments until the age of twelve. He'd brought her a Pikachu from Kanto, and then a Thunder Stone to evolve it, and a Chatot from Sinnoh in the last year alone. Her mother had also gifted her with a Butterfree that she had raised fastidiously from a Caterpie herself. This meant, compared to Nila and Kaida, she had an enormous head start.

"Well... We'll see!" Kaida cried, shaking her fist at Mary-Ann. "I bet I'll get further in the Pokémon League than _you_!"

Mary-Ann gave a derisive snort. "You haven't even got _one_ Pokémon yet."

"Well, I _will_," Kaida insisted. A dark scowl had settled on her face. "Why are you still here anyway? Shouldn't you hurry along to the first gym?"

Mary-Ann pursed her lips together. "Daddy said he'd drive me. But he had to go into the office..." For the first time she looked slightly uncertain. "I'm sure he'll be back soon though." She nodded to herself, as if it would help reassure her he would show up.

"That's cheating and lazy!" Kaida accused.

"Only to the first gym," Mary-Ann said, with another toss of her blonde hair and a subtle readjusting of her sparkly beret. "I'll walk after Violet!"

"It's still cheating," Kaida said stubbornly. There were no rules about it but she thought it was bad sport. She was about to taunt Mary-Ann about getting fat when she was nudged by Nila, who was gesturing to the time. They really needed to get a move along and get to Mayu's house. "We have to go now," Kaida said, giving Mary-Ann the dirtiest look she could. "I would say see you later, but I'm sure you'll give up in a week."

"You wish," Mary-Ann scorned. "You know when I keep going, I'll be impossible to beat!"

Kaida was about to retort again, but Nila had had enough and grabbed her arm. She wheeled Kaida away, ignoring her protests. If she didn't split them up then their fighting could go on for hours, which wouldn't do when they had a mission to complete: they needed to find those Cyndaquil or their journey would never begin!

The Young household, mercifully, ate a reasonably early dinner, and it was a quick and informal affair, especially since one of their number, Kitty, was missing. Kitty was, of course, off on her journey, except she didn't want to be a battler: she was entering Pokémon contests. Mayu skipped out of the house, oblivious to the three pairs of eyes watching her. They let her get a reasonable distance ahead before slinking after her.

Mayu was short and non-distinctive, but she wore a bright red t-shirt and bore a bulky, fluorescent yellow bag, so trailing after her wasn't difficult. They kept the careful distance between themselves and the younger girl, especially since Mayu kept looking around her cautiously, which further cemented the idea in Kaida's mind that the girl was up to something suspicious – something involving the stolen Cyndaquil. They followed her back to the north-east area of New Bark, but this time they took a more direct route, since Mayu had no need to visit the harbour as she knew where she was going.

"She's been walking for ages," Kaida complained. "Where are the Cyndaquil?"

Nila didn't answer her; instead she was concentrating on Chikorita, who had tried to confront a well-trained Furrett who had growled at her. Chikorita apparently did not back down from anything, even from those by whom she was clearly outclassed.

They ended up walking by the low cliffs to the east, where forest and land met the sea. Mayu seemed well versed in the route, darting through the woods. They seemed to be walking on forever, Kaida thought, and it didn't help that she had no idea how much longer it would be or where they were going. At least, she noted, the day was warm. She saw several fat, contented Weedle reclining on branches above them. One wasn't clinging on tightly enough as, with a little snort, it wobbled and threatened to topple off. The motion startled it, and it woke up, correcting itself before going back to sleep. The others dozed obliviously, much to the interest of a keen-eyed Pidgey in the next tree along. Its attention snapped to Chikorita when they walked past, and it let out a shrill cry, which, to Kaida and Nila's horror, made Mayu turn up ahead.

Nila grabbed Kaida and pulled her to the ground, where they were hidden partially by a nearby tree and some undergrowth, and also by the uneven earth. Mayu either didn't spot them, or mistook them for something else, as she turned back and continued on her way. When Kaida and Nila stood, they were covered in dirt, moss, and leaves and, as Mayu was moving again, they didn't have the time to clean themselves. They tried to brush themselves off on the move, and Nila scowled darkly down at her grubby clothes: she strongly disliked being unclean.

They had cut back inland for a while, but soon returned to the sea and the low cliffs. The land dipped down, so the sea was only metres beneath them, and it was in a gorge in the side of the land that Mayu stopped. She clambered down some rocks, clinging to tree roots, until she reached a place where it levelled out. There she leapt over a short distance to the other side of the gorge, formed by the stream leading to the sea, and disappeared into a small groove in the rocks, which could scarcely pass itself off as a cave. Kaida and Nila stopped at the top of the gorge and hid behind some thorny bushes, peering down to see Mayu a few metres below them. She was joined by her cousin, a blond boy a year younger than her, and another girl in her class, who had mouse brown hair and endless amounts of freckles. Kaida and Nila had a fairly good view of the trio, and saw almost instantly, behind them, the seven Cyndaquil, huddled into blankets.

"Maybe we should put them back in their Pokéballs," Mayu's cousin suggested. "They won't start up their fires so they might get cold."

"Yoshi!" the freckled girl cried. "That's cruel! My Mum was a Pokémon Ranger and she says–"

"Yeah, yeah." Yoshi's tone was petulant. "Would you prefer they freeze to death?"

That shut the freckled girl up.

"Why won't they do their fire?" Mayu asked, stooping before the seven Cyndaquil, who all looked rather confused. "It doesn't make sense. I saw people today who got Cyndaquil... Theirs did it!"

"Maybe they weren't expecting to be here?" the freckled girl said. She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. I have to go home soon or Mum will get angry."

"Fine," Mayu said briskly. "We can stay here and train 'em. See you later, Ida."

But Ida furrowed her brow and, reluctant to miss out on anything, declared, "I don't have to go just yet." With that, she sat down next to the Cyndaquil and tried to coax them into starting up their fires again. "Come on. Just a little fire!"

Mayu put her bright yellow bag on the ground and pulled out some packets of food. She placed them in front of the Cyndaquil, but none of them seemed to have much interest in eating either. All they did was huddle together and stare up with confused looks on their small faces. Kaida's hands clenched into fists. Mayu and her friends had to be punished for this! The Cyndaquil were expecting a single twelve year-old trainer to introduce themselves and start them on their journey: they hadn't expected to see three children under ten and a horrible cave! No wonder they were frightened and didn't know what to do. She spotted the pile of Pokéballs behind the Cyndaquil and knew what she had to do. Without waiting to consult Nila, who was still assessing the area with narrowed eyes, Kaida stood up. There were shocked gasps as the three younger children saw her.

"You little..." Kaida couldn't quite grasp the right word so she settled for brandishing a finger in their direction instead. "Thieves!" she cried. There was a short pause before she spluttered, "Stealing is wrong."

Yoshi stuck his tongue out. Mayu and the other girl seemed to be taking it a little more seriously.

"It's not fair we had to wait!" Mayu defended herself.

"Well, it's not fair you stole a Pokémon that I was supposed to have either," Kaida shot back. "I waited until I was twelve like everybody else, and now I have nothing! Because of you!"

Mayu grumbled something under her breath. "There were plenty of Pokémon. Professor Elm said so."

"I wanted a Cyndaquil!" Kaida argued. "There were none left."

"Were too."

"Were not. Weren't when I got there!"

Yoshi pulled a face. "That's your problem then, lazy bones!"

Kaida grew red with rage. She wanted to throttle that child. "Besides, they weren't yours to take! They were Professor Elm's!"

"He can't look after all those Pokémon!" Mayu said, and she seemed to be clutching at straws now. "We can give them more attention."

Her brown haired friend, Ida, agreed. "He would have kept them cooped up in Pokéballs!"

"No, he wouldn't!" Kaida argued. She took a few steps forwards and the three shrunk back, moving further towards the Cyndaquil as she descended down the slope to the cave.

"I don't care," Mayu decided. "They're ours now!"

Kaida looked down at Nila for some back up, but discovered her friend was gone. She blinked several times but, unsurprisingly, this didn't change anything. Where had Nila disappeared to? She looked right and left and saw, in the latter direction, Chikorita on the other side of the gorge, waiting in a place that was several metres apart from their side. How had she got over there? Had Nila _thrown_ her? The next thing Kaida saw was Nila hurtling out of the bushes and leaping across herself. She thumped into the cliff face on the other side of the gorge, but had grabbed hold of the top and managed to pull herself up. Once up, she joined her Pokémon and gave Kaida the thumbs up. Kaida got the message: the three thieves hadn't seen Nila and so Nila could drop down behind them and grab the Cyndaquil while Kaida distracted them. Facing them head on would be a bad idea in case they managed to get the seven Cyndaquil to fight, since together they would almost certainly defeat a sole Chikorita.

"What do you plan to do?" Kaida demanded. "You can't keep them here forever."

"We can," Yoshi insisted, although the two girls looked less certain.

"They'll get hurt," Kaida said. "And the police are looking for them so you keep them in town."

Mayu's chin jutted out defiantly. "They'll forget after a while. I'll say Kitty got 'em for me."

Kaida raised her eyebrows sceptically. No one was going to fall for that. She took another step forwards, twining her hands in the tree roots jutting out from the slope of the gorge, and this snapped Mayu into action.

"Stay back!" she yelled. She reached behind her for one of the Cyndaquil. "Come on, you can use Tackle!"

The Cyndaquil cocked its head at her. It didn't move. Then it cocked its head and looked at Kaida and Kaida felt her breath catch as the small eyes regarded her. This Cyndaquil... This was her Cyndaquil. She knew it! Throwing caution to the wind, Kaida threw herself over to the other ledge, narrowly avoiding crashing into Mayu, who leapt backwards in shock. Kaida reached out to the Cyndaquil, who reached out from Mayu's arms to nuzzle her hand with its nose. Kaida couldn't help the enormous grin that spread over her face: she'd found her first Pokémon.

Then Mayu pulled backwards and Cyndaquil was wrenched away from her. Cyndaquil disliked this as much as Kaida as it squirmed furiously and managed to break free of Mayu's hold. It made straight for Kaida, who crouched and stroked its head. Cyndaquil looked contently up at her and Kaida smiled at it. Evidently, it was love at first sight. Mayu didn't like this much, as she seized a Pokéball and tried to return it. It turned out to be the wrong Pokéball and Mayu threw down the first in annoyance. However, the second one she picked was the correct one and Cyndaquil disappeared in a flash of red light.

While Mayu and Kaida had been speaking, Yoshi had managed to make two of the Cyndaquil listen, however half-heartedly, to his commands, and they converged on Kaida, pushing her back to the edge of the ledge. She glanced behind her and saw the water, stream sloshing into the sea, and her stomach flipped. It wasn't that far down – only a few metres – but if she did slip down there then she wasn't sure how she would climb up again. The edges of the gorge beneath her were smooth and sheer.

"Stop it!" Kaida ordered. "Someone's going to get hurt!"

"Go away then!" Yoshi demanded. "Leave us alone!"

They probably should have called the police on the three troublemakers, Kaida thought. However, it was fine to look back in hindsight: she had been too angry to think properly before. As she teetered on the edge, slightly regretting her rash actions, Nila came scrambling down from behind the three, through a hole in the miniature gorge behind them. Chikorita ambled out in front of her, the leaf on her head bristling.

"The Pokéball," Nila ordered, pointing at Mayu.

Before anyone could do anything, Chikorita tackled Mayu and the Pokéball went flying from her hand. Kaida dropped to her knees and grabbed it before it rolled off the side of the ledge. She clutched it to her chest. Finally... She had her Cyndaquil.

Meanwhile, Yoshi had turned his two Cyndaquil on Chikorita, ordering them to use Tackle. Both Cyndaquil were faster than Chikorita, but Chikorita used that to its advantage: the pair was uncoordinated and ran at the same time. Chikorita didn't move until the last second and the pair smashed into each other. Yoshi groaned and slapped a hand over his face.

"Don't be a moron, Yoshi!" Ida yelled. "Get up, you two!"

The Cyndaquil stood up and faced Chikorita again. Kaida saw she was going to have to act, no matter how defiant Chikorita was. She looked down at her Pokéball, and her new Cyndaquil, and let a smile grow on her face.

"Go, Cyndaquil!" she said, letting the Pokémon burst free from the ball.

Cyndaquil formed. It looked around, its nose snuffling the air, scanning the two Cyndaquil and, afterwards, it glanced back at its new trainer.

"Help Chikorita," Kaida ordered. "Tackle the Cyndaquil nearest you!"

Cyndaquil bobbed its head and, as a small blur, it slammed into the other, slightly larger Cyndaquil. Chikorita, meanwhile, met her Cyndaquil opponent head on, and seemed to come out of that better than the other Pokémon, who appeared somewhat dazed. Chikorita reared up on her rear legs and charged again, but her opponent seemed to recover and dodged. Chikorita turned and advanced again. Meanwhile, Kaida's Cyndaquil, quicker than its larger foe, dodged and hit the other Cyndaquil from behind and, as it battled, Kaida was faced with the problem of Mayu, who moved towards the other Cyndaquil.

"Oh, no, you don't," Nila said, rushing towards the pile of Pokéballs.

She grabbed a few and managed to return two of the remaining four, but then Ida jumped on her back and started to hit her. Nila was taller and stronger, but she was reluctant to hurt the younger girl and, in addition, she was clutching two Pokéball and trying to keep them away from Yoshi. She straightened up and backed into the wall of the gorge, so Ida was squashed uncomfortably against the rocks. She managed to shrink the Pokéballs, shove them in her jeans, and then used one hand to pull Ida's hair so she relinquished her grip on Nila's back, and used the other hand to fend off Yoshi from the other Pokémon.

This left Kaida to deal with Mayu, who was actually about the same size as her, despite being a few years younger. She scowled at the girl and said, in her most commanding voice, "Stop it!"

Of course, Mayu ignored her completely, and Kaida scrabbled towards the two remaining Cyndaquil. Mayu, however, got there first, and scooped up the Pokéballs and returned the Pokémon. She turned, and tried to run, but tripped. The Pokéballs were thrown in the air, clattering back down on the ledge, while Mayu herself fell over it. Pure shock jolted through Kaida, and she leapt forwards and grabbed the other girl by the sleeve of her jumper with her right hand. Mayu swung round and smacked back into the face of the cliff. She cried out and Kaida fell to her knees in her effort to keep Mayu up; she grabbed the sleeve with her free hand and tried to pull the girl up. A sudden ripping sound cut through Kaida's thoughts and she used her left hand to try to grasp Mayu's hand; but this was covered by the baggy sleeve, and Kaida ended up scrabbling at Mayu's forearm so, when the girl began to fall backwards, Kaida went with her. She only registered that she was falling for a brief second because she smashed into the stream.

Dark water was everywhere and, for a few moments, blundering blindly, Kaida had no sense of which way up the surface was. She bumped into an object, and was about to grab onto it, when she realised it was Mayu. She let go of the other girl and pushed wildly and, after her head pierced through water to air, she gulped in air. The next thing she did was look for Mayu, who bobbed to the surface a few seconds later. The younger girl gasped, struggling to take in breaths.

"I can't swim!"

Mayu flailed her arms widely as she yelled. She was then off as she disappearing under the water. Kaida grabbed her, but it was difficult to stay afloat when supporting a wriggling person. Kaida ended up with water flooding into her mouth as she was dragged under. Mayu now had a grip on her arms and was refusing to let go, so when Kaida tried to right herself by moving her arms, she found she couldn't. Now Mayu was lashing out all of her body, except her arms, which were gripping Kaida, and Kaida had to struggle back to free herself. She managed to prise herself from Mayu's grip and kicked up to breach the surface. She felt Mayu's hands scrabbling at her stomach and moved backwards to avoid being pulled under by the desperate girl. Once she had enough air, she reached down and grabbed Mayu. Unfortunately for Mayu, Kaida grabbed her by the hair, which hurt a lot, but this did mean Mayu was too busy crying out in pain to panic and sink again.

"Stop moving!" Kaida roared. Of course, Mayu didn't listen, but Kaida tugged her hair and she got the message. "Do _not _hold onto me! I will hold onto _you_. OK?" Mayu nodded. Kaida released her hair and grabbed her under the armpits instead. "Now try to move your legs _gently_."

"Are you guys OK?" It was Nila, from above, peering down at them. "Do I have to jump in?"

"We're fine!"

Kaida looked up and saw they weren't fine. They had been carried quite a distance away from Nila and Mayu's friends and, although the current didn't seem to be too strong, they were still being dragged out to sea. Furthermore, Kaida wasn't sure how they were going to get back onto land: it was only a few metres above them but they couldn't exactly scale the rocks. At least, she thought, they weren't being pulled under the water. Yet.

"All right, you little–" Nila began, calling Mayu's two friends something extremely rude. "You're going to give me those Pokéballs, jump back over there, and go for help." In case either felt mutinous, she added, "If you don't, I will hit you, and I hit _hard_." She glared at them for good measure.

Luckily, the two were so shocked about Mayu falling in the water, and potentially drowning, that they nodded obediently, and leapt back over to the New Bark side of the stream.

"But..." Yoshi's lip trembled. "What do we say?"

"I don't care what you say!" Nila snapped, adding another rude insult as an afterthought. "Say two people are in the water and want to get out!"

They both nodded timidly but didn't move.

"NOW!"

That got them going in a hurry. Nila swiftly returned the Cyndaquil to their Pokéballs, save the one Kaida had been fighting with, and returned to the edge. Chikorita and Cyndaquil joined her, and the latter squeaked in worry as its new, red headed trainer disappeared into the sea. Finally, it seemed to decide it could only help by following; it was good fortune indeed that Nila caught it readying itself to jump into the water and grabbed it from behind.

"Bad plan," she told Cyndaquil. She glanced at her own Chikorita. "Why didn't I pick a Totodile?"

Chikorita glared at Nila. Nila spotted this and rolled her eyes.

"This isn't the time to sulk."

Chikorita turned her head determinedly away.

"Fine." Nila huffed. "Sorry."

Chikorita didn't seem to mind the insincerity of the apology and snapped out of its bad mood immediately.

"Cyndaquil, why don't you stay here while we follow them along? You can lead anyone who comes to help to us." Nila didn't add that she didn't know how long it would be before help came: they were a fair distance from the harbour and New Bark.

Cyndaquil shook its head frantically, signalling to Nila that it wanted to follow its new trainer, and it wouldn't be left behind. Nila rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of demanding, pushy Pokémon.

"OK." She compromised. "Chikorita, you stay here. Cyndaquil, you're with me."

Meanwhile, in the water, Kaida tried to swim towards the sides in the hopes that she could find a rock to cling onto until help came. The rocks were slippery and her fingers scrabbled uselessly. The situation was not helped by Mayu either: she panicked every time Kaida didn't use both of her hands to keep her upright. They were growing closer and closer to the sea and Kaida didn't think she was imagining the rushing sound of a waterfall. It couldn't be big but there could be rocks.

"Kaida!" An alarmed voice came from above. It was Nila. "Try to swim upstream."

"I can't!" Kaida yelled back. It was hard enough not drowning while clinging onto the hopeless Mayu. "It's too–"

"I know!" Nila cut her off. "I just need to get ahead of you."

Kaida saw Nila a little way behind them, leaping through bushes and trees in her efforts to get ahead. At her feet – and only visible when the undergrowth was sparser – was the Cyndaquil she had battled with, racing furiously to keep up.

"Waterfall?" she asked.

"Yep," Nila said. "Nasty rocks! It's quite narrow though so..."

Nila was finally ahead and she looked around for something she could use to help Kaida. Her eyes fell on a large branch, half cracked, in front of her.

"Cyndaquil, use Tackle to get that down," she ordered.

The small Pokémon launched itself at the weak spot on the branch and, with a satisfying crack, it broke. Cyndaquil leapt back to avoid being hit and Nila scooped the branch from the ground. A few metres ahead was the waterfall, but the tiny gorge was thin there. The branch would slot nicely in and provide Kaida with something to cling onto. The only problem was how to get it there: if she chucked it down then it probably wouldn't lodge into place and would turn around in the water and just go down the miniature waterfall, move into the last stretch of the stream, and then continue into the sea. Nila weighed up her options: either she could jump in and fix it into place, or she could throw it to Kaida, who was already struggling with Mayu. Nila sighed. There wasn't much choice. She kicked her shoes off.

"Cyndaquil," she said sternly. "Stay here."

The little Pokémon shook its head.

"Kaida!" Nila yelled. "Tell your stupid Pokémon to stay here so it can show everyone where we are! It would just weigh us down in the water."

"Us?" Kaida frowned, confused. "But..."

"Just tell it to stay up here!" Nila snapped.

Kaida cleared her throat. She kicked her feet with extra vigour so she could get above the surface long enough to call, "Cyndaquil. Do as she says! You can help better this way!"

Cyndaquil's anxious eyes snapped to its new trainer. Its head drooped. Already it couldn't help her: it felt useless. Cyndaquil glanced back at the other trainer – the dark haired friend – just in time to see her leap into the water.

Nila hit the water with some force. Her landing had been made awkward by her tight grip on the branch. She didn't have time to take a breath as the air was knocked out of her lungs; she swung herself round and forced the branch across the gorge width ways. It jarred horribly and, for a terrible moment, Nila thought it had snapped, as splinters snapped off at the edges as it scraped along the rocks. Then, in front of her, Nila saw a rock sticking out of the water, and she pushed her feet forwards to press against it, slowing down enough to get the branch into place. Seconds later, Kaida and Mayu slammed into her. The branch bent ominously and Nila planted her feet back on the rock again to relieve some of the pressure.

"Hold onto the branch, Mayu," Kaida instructed, grasping the wood with one hand. She guided the younger girl into place, but still steadied her with one hand even after she had latched onto it.

"Kaida, I'd feel a lot better if you were on the other side. Keep the weight even," Nila said, a little worriedly. She eyed the edges of the branch where it was wedged into the rock.

A small squeak came from above. "'Quil!"

Kaida looked up and saw the adorable nose of the fire Pokémon who had been prepared to jump into the water – its weakness – to protect her. They'd already formed a bond! When she got out of this water, alive and well, she was going to give it the biggest, longest, tightest hug that had ever, _ever_ been.

"I'm OK!" she assured the Pokémon. "Just stay there."

After several minutes, they seemed to have stabilised, and their racing hearts slowed. There was a silence that was only interrupted by the occasional sniffle from Mayu. Kaida sighed. The dramatic, scary moment appeared to be over. She was not extremely bored. Bored, wet, and cold: it was not a favourable combination. On their own they were bad enough.

"Eep!" Mayu squeaked. "I felt something!"

Kaida looked down at saw the golden scales of a Magikarp bumping into Mayu's legs. It bounced off and righted itself, continuing down the stream. Kaida wrinkled her nose; she had never liked the sight of water Pokémon. Fish were freaky. Unfortunately, seconds later, two more Magikarp appeared and, this time, one of them brushed past her leg. Kaida shuddered and tried not to emit a high pitched, girly squeak. Gross!

More and more fish came streaming past, bumping against them. They clung to the branch and Nila gritted her teeth. Her legs were what was helping to keep the branch in place and, with the sudden rush of fish, she was being jostled. A particularly stupid Magikarp was not contented into ramming its head into her once, but it continued to do so, trying to move her out of its way, ignoring the fact that the only thing Nila was blocking was a rock. Nila's body jolted and her legs slipped. She tried to recover herself but the Magikarp slammed again and the movement jarred the branch. There was a crack and Kaida's heart leapt into her throat. No, the branch was still intact.

"Kick, it Kaida," Nila yelled. "Get it away!"

"I'm trying," Kaida said.

But she only ended up kicking Nila and the other girl scowled at her. Kaida tried again but her flailing jolted the branch even more and there was another crack. Mayu screamed.

Nila swore. She was going to have to do it. She lifted one foot and kicked the head-ramming Magikarp so it went spinning away, going around the rock and down the stream. Another Magikarp bumped into her other leg as she was replacing the first and, due to the slippery rock, Nila's feet slid and she plunged under the water. She couldn't fight her way back up because she was holding the branch and might dislodge it. She needed to right herself, but it was difficult when the bubbles of the water and all the fish meant that she couldn't see anything. Her knee slammed into the rock and she bit down on her lip from the pain. She felt someone – Kaida – grab her collar, and the red haired girl guided her back up. Nila quickly put her feet back.

"It's gonna break," Mayu whimpered. "We're gonna die!"

"We're not going to die," Nila growled, thoroughly irritated by the annoying child: it was Mayu's fault they were in this situation! "Being hysterical doesn't help anything, so shut up."

This didn't work, and Mayu started to cry. Kaida wondered if she should try to soothe the girl, but found she had very little sympathy. She sighed and started to do her calming down exercises: if she didn't then she was going to explode with rage at the idiotic Mayu. She tried to look away from Mayu and concentrate on something else – like the cute Cyndaquil above her – but she was distracted by something large moving upstream.

"Is that–" She stopped and squinted to confirm what she could see. "It's a Seaking!"

Seaking was moving with most of its body above the surface of the water. It was a lot cuter than Magikarp, Kaida thought, but she still didn't like it. She spotted a few Goldeen behind Seaking as the larger fish Pokémon got closer.

"It's speeding up," Nila said, her forehead creasing.

It was only when it was a few metres away from them that they realised that Seaking was not going to slow down. It was also not going to dive under the log. Kaida and Nila just had the time to give each other panicked looks before Seaking smashed into the branch. It snapped in two instantly and they were all thrown forwards. Kaida felt someone grab her arm and she was jerked back. Water clouded her vision, but she managed to kick herself to the surface again, where she saw Nila wrapped around the rock, holding Mayu's wrist with one hand and Kaida's arm with the other. Her head had smacked into the rock and blood trickled down her temple. Kaida reached out and grabbed Nila's wrist with her hands; at the same time, she felt Nila's grip loosen on her arm.

"'Quil! Cyndaquil!"

Kaida bobbed above the water and spat out a mouthful. She could feel the current tugging on her even more persistently than before. Weren't rivers supposed to slow before they entered the sea? This stream clearly hadn't listened to her Geography teacher's lecture. She could vaguely hear Cyndaquil's panicked cries and hoped fervently that it stayed on the land: it would only make things worse in the water.

"Girls?" another voice cried. "Is anyone there?"

It was the voice of someone older than them and, judging by its deepness, it was presumably male.

"Here!" Kaida yelled, but her voice didn't travel far due to the water that entered her mouth.

Cyndaquil, on the other hand, leapt up and down, eager to finally help. "CYNDA!"

There were some crashing sounds above, which were muffled by the water in Kaida's ears, and she thought she heard some foul curses. Then, to her horror, she was buffeted by more passing fish Pokémon, who pushed at her legs, and this caused her grip on Nila to slip. She was holding on to Nila's fingers now; she tried to regain a more solid grasp but the water pulling her made it difficult to reach.

"Pidgeot! Now!"

This was said about the same time as Kaida finally lost her grip. She was whipped away, dragged both underwater and closer to the ever present waterfall. She was going to _die, _she thought wildly, in this horrible _water_. There were few worse ways to go! However, quite suddenly, she was yanked upwards by grasping talons, and she found herself pulled free of the water. She blinked heavily. She was flying! She glanced up: it was the Pidgeot.

She looked down and saw Mayu and Nila, now unbalanced, slipping away from the rock inch by inch. Her relief and elation at being rescued vanished in an instant. They were so close to being dragged away, as Kaida had been, when a flash of red light erupted and, from it, a Golduck emerged. It moved powerfully through the water to push Mayu and Nila back to the rock, where it held them.

This was the point where Pidgeot dropped Kaida.

Kaida almost had a small heart attack until she plummeted about a metre into a waiting arms of one of their rescuers, the man with the Pidgeot, who promptly ordered his Pokémon back to the water to rescue Nila and Mayu.

"Are you all right?" he asked, setting her on the floor.

Kaida found she couldn't speak. Instead she hacked up what felt like several litres of water. Pidgeot dumped Mayu beside her as Kaida lied down, wheezing, and the sniffling girl burst into a fresh wave of tears. Kaida tried to inch away from her and cast her eyes around. Behind the man with the Pidgeot, there was a woman, and behind her, there was Chikorita. Kaida looked around for Cyndaquil but saw the tiny fire Pokémon was on the other side of the bank, hopping up and down frantically, unable to get across.

Nila was retrieved a few seconds later, and Chikorita ran over to nudge her trainer impatiently with her head. Kaida watched as Nila spluttered up a considerably amount of water as well. She then heard the sound of Mayu retching. Eew. She wrinkled her nose. She knew the girl couldn't exactly help it, but that was gross!

"You've got to go get the Cyndaquil," Kaida insisted. "I have the Pokéball for that one–" she pointed across the small gorge to her Cyndaquil, whose Pokéball was securely attached to her belt "–but the others are back there."

"We got them when we found Chikorita," the woman said, reassuringly. It was the woman with the Golduck, Kaida noted, taking in her spiky black hair. She reached down and patted Kaida gently on the back. "Can I have that Pokéball?"

"But..." Kaida muttered, putting a hand over it defensively. This one was hers. With a sinking heart, she realised it actually wasn't. Surely Professor Elm would let her have it though?

"It's OK, I'll give it back," the woman with the Golduck assured her.

Man-with-Pidgeot was attending to Mayu, who crying some more after throwing up. Nila had dragged herself into a sitting position, with Chikorita's feet on her legs, and another woman, with long, pink hair, was examining the blood on her face.

"It's not too bad," the pink haired woman said bracingly. "Head injuries always bleed a lot. They look worse than they are. You'll be fine."

Nila nodded, but this seemed to hurt her head, as she grimaced and clutched it with her hands.

The spiky haired woman clipped the Pokéball back into Kaida's belt. "There you go."

They were carried back towards New Bark, which was not protested as they found themselves too weak to do very much. When they got out of the forest, near the harbour, an ambulance arrived to take them to New Bark's tiny hospital to be checked out. Kaida and Nila's parents had been called and met them there. All looked extremely frantic.

"This is why Pokémon adventures always end badly," one of the nurses said, tutting, as they were wheeled in.

Jane, who had now seen her daughter was conscious and intact, with all her limbs remaining, snapped out of her worry to face the nurse. "How can you say that?" she demanded, with wide, astonished eyes. "Adventures with Pokémon are an amazing – essential – opportunity!" Her eyes glazed over. "I remember when I first got my Vulpix. The places we went, the things we saw..." She sighed wistfully.

Kaida sighed as she was wheeled away by another nurse. Her mother was still raving on, and the nurse who had made the comment looked extremely regretful: he hadn't expected that when he opened his mouth.

Kaida was checked over, found to be perfectly fine, and then was visited by the police, who asked her a seemingly endless list of questions about what had happened. It was pitched black outside by the time they finished.

"Time to go," Jane said chirpily, throwing a thick, ugly fleece at her daughter.

Kaida looked at the fleece – lime green – and scowled. There was no way she was wearing this monstrosity. "It's hot outside," she said through gritted teeth.

"Nonsense!"

Jane leapt forwards, before Kaida could protest any further, and jammed the fleece over Kaida's head. Ten minutes and three tantrums later, they left the hospital. Kaida could only silently plot her revenge.

"And have a nice lie in tomorrow," Jane nattered. "I'll cook you breakfast in bed."

Kaida gulped. Cooking. Just, no! "I have to leave early," she said, patting her Pokéball. "We've already wasted one day! We have to catch up with everyone else."

Jane gave Kaida a funny look. "You're leaving without Nila?"

"No!"

Jane patted Kaida's head. "Nila hit her head. She's not going to be allowed out tomorrow. It'll have to be Monday."

Kaida's jaw dropped. They were wasting two whole days! This was ridiculous! And, when she thought about it, she realised it was all Nila's fault. If Nila had been up earlier then she would have got a Cyndaquil and they wouldn't have been forced to chase after Mayu and her thieving friends. The police would have caught Mayu eventually...

But, Kaida thought, in that scenario, she wouldn't have become the trainer of _this_ Cyndaquil. Recalling its adorable face, she sighed. She couldn't hate Nila.

They finally reached home, and Kaida stripped off the lime green fleece and threw it away from her. She didn't think she'd ever seen a piece of clothing so revolting. She didn't think she ever would. Why did her Mum keep foisting it on her? To make matters worse, it was enormous, so she would likely never grow out of it! She'd have to find some way to destroy it, but her mother had inadvertently sabotaged all of her attempts so far. It had even survived being _accidentally _thrown in the fire. It was a demon jumper!

"Soooo," Jane said happily. "Let's see it."

Kaida pulled a confused face.

"Your Pokémon!" Jane exploded. "Don't keep me waiting!"

"Ah," Kaida said, a smile appearing on her face.

She unclipped the Pokéball from her belt. In a flash, Cyndaquil stood before them. It turned itself around, looking confused, and then it launched itself happily at Kaida. Its beloved trainer was OK.

"SO CUTE!" Jane yelled, startling the tiny Pokémon, who clung at Kaida more tightly. Jane began to coo at it. "You should leave it here with me!"

"What?" Kaida yelped. "No!" She staggered backwards several steps and cradled her Cyndaquil defensively.

"I could teach it new moves!" Jane's eyes shone at the very thought of it.

"Go get your own Cyndaquil," Kaida growled. Her anger was temporarily abated when Cyndaquil let out a cute squeak and snuggled into her. It was so sweet! She couldn't believe it was _hers_! "This one's mine."

Cyndaquil nodded contently.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Jane wondered. She examined it for a second. "Looks like a boy."

It didn't matter to Kaida: the Cyndaquil was just as amazing either way. Kaida looked down at Cyndaquil, and he looked back up at her, and Kaida decided this was it: this was the best moment of her _life_.


	3. Before 3

(BEFORE)

Come on, Cyndaquil," Kaida said encouragingly. "You can do it."

Cyndaquil cocked his head in confusion. Kaida sighed and flopped back onto the ground. This sucked, she thought. She was trying to get Cyndaquil to light the fire on his back, but she hadn't had any success. To make matters worse, Nila was watching in considerable amusement from her garden. Kaida would occasionally hear a snigger but, when she looked up, Nila would be looking innocently in the other direction.

"You can beat that big, bully grass Pokémon," Kaida insisted. "Just focus."

Chikorita was bored of waiting for Cyndaquil to focus; she swung the leaf on her head to fire a Razor Leaf at Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil, distracted by Kaida, was hit. It squeaked and fell over.

"How is yours doing that?" Kaida demanded. Stupid grass Pokémon. Clearly it just took a bit longer for fire Pokémon to learn cool fire moves because they were so much more awesome than stinky grass moves.

"It always takes a little longer for Cyndaquil than Chikorita to learn its first type move," Jane consoled.

"Or you're a rubbish trainer!" Margaret barked.

Kaida resisted the urge to strangle her grandmother. Jane had thought it would be a good idea for the grumpy old woman to get some sun; it was supposed to cheer her up. It had not worked. She was more miserable than ever and had demanded a spot in the coolest part of the shade and, on top of this, she had forced Kaida to put up an umbrella over her. Not to mention, she had used every excuse to hit Kaida with her stupid walking stick. It was ridiculous! Margaret was already in the shade!

"Let's try to be encouraging," Jane said from her deck chair. She was sipping cool lemonade contently while Vulpix reclined by her side. "Go, go, Kaida!" She waved her arms, looking like a drunken cheerleader, and managed to slosh her drink over her white linen shorts. "Oops," Jane said, brushing the liquid aside. "Oh well. It will dry. GO, Kaida!"

Kaida groaned. She would prefer her grandmother insulting her instead of Jane trying to enthusiastically cheer her on! This was hell! She glared at Nila, who was sipping her absolute favourite drink – milk – and munching her way through some mint chocolates. Bleurgh, Kaida thought. Nila needed some taste.

"Chikorita, use Tackle," Nila said.

"Ah," Kaida yelped, turning her attention back to their battle. "Cyndaquil, Tackle!"

To her dismay, Chikorita had built up more force and sent Cyndaquil reeling backwards. Kaida frowned. Cyndaquil had a stronger attacking power and speed than Chikorita, but Chikorita had far better stamina. She just had to work this to her advantage, Kaida mused, eyeing the grass Pokémon. Her concentration faltered at the sound of a door opening and closing next door. It was Nila's mother, who had just returned from work.

"So did you hear how much trouble those three troublemakers got into?" Nila's mother, Emi, asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "Not a lot, apparently. They're too young." She frowned, eyes darting over to her daughter. Nila was fine – and would be allowed to start travelling on Monday – but it didn't stop Emi from being cross: it could have been a lot worse.

"Mum," Nila grumbled. "It's fine. Professor Elm got the Cyndaquil back, they're all grounded, what more do you want?"

Her mother didn't answer that. Instead, she offered to refill Nila's drink, which Nila was _not _going to refuse. More milk. Tasty.

"Ah, your adventures," Jane said. "You can call me at Pokémon Centres. And make sure to make full use of your Pokédex. It was very expensive and they're still quite rare! Not many other trainers will have them. I didn't when I started my journey..." She trailed off and went into a daydream land about the good old days.

Nila's mother had returned with more milk, which Nila eagerly took and started to slurp.

Kaida, on the other hand, turned back to her Cyndaquil. "Just a little fire," she urged. Her shoulders drooped. "Please?"

Cyndaquil just blinked.


	4. Day 1

(DAY ONE)

"WOO!" Kaida roared. "We're going! Finally!"

She ran in circles around Nila, waving her arms enthusiastically. They were off and on the road on the day the gyms officially opened. She couldn't wait! She wanted to run all the way there, but she knew that was silly, because then she'd miss all the Pokémon! Forget eating and sleeping though: she could run on pure adrenaline. She took the Pokéball from her belt and raised it to her lips, giving it a quick kiss for luck. She continued to run around Nila, whose eye twitch irritably. Eventually she stuck her foot out and Kaida, oblivious, went flying. She managed to catch herself before she landed on the ground; however, this meant the Pokéball went flying from her hands.

"Aah, Nila!" Kaida snapped.

"Personal space," Nila shot back.

Kaida was tempted to yell at her, but she was too busy scurrying after her Pokéball. It had rolled down a short, grassy slope and into a prickly bush. Kaida reached her hand in, fingers brushing the edge of the Pokéball, when there was a chirp and she noticed the big brown eyes staring at her. Kaida didn't need to get out her Pokédex to identify this Pokémon: they were extremely common in Johto. It was extremely close to her hand and Kaida hoped it wouldn't bite her.

In the end, what it did was far worse. It grabbed the Pokéball.

"No!"

Kaida lunged forwards, but it was too late. The Sentret scampered off. Kaida scrambled to her feet and began to pursue it.

"Cyndaquil!" she yelled. She glanced swiftly over her shoulder to see if Nila was following – she was – because, if she hadn't been, Kaida would have to kill her. It was Nila's fault – again – that she had lost Cyndaquil! "CYNDAQUIL!"

Kaida's breaths came out as puffs as she pumped her arms and legs. She ignored the scratchy bushes and ploughed onwards, dodging trees and keeping to the shorter grass as much as she could. Then, ahead, Sentret tripped over a root and went tumbling forwards. The Pokéball flew free. Kaida raced past the Sentret, who was squeaking wildly, and lunged for it. Her fingers were about to close around the little red ball when a blur shot across, kicking the ball so it went flying to the left. It was another Sentret and, after this one, many others followed. Kaida got back to her feet as this Sentret picked up the Pokéball and threw it in the air, looking overjoyed at the round object.

"Just..." Kaida tried to approach it slowly. Where was Nila? "Give it back!"

Sentret looked at her.

It threw the Pokéball. Another Sentret, in the tree above it, caught it. This one threw it again. The game continued over Kaida's head as Nila arrived.

"Go, Chikorita! Use Razor Leaf and hit that one down!"

Chikorita aimed at the Sentret about to catch the Pokéball. The little green Pokémon managed to aim the leaves with stunning accuracy, and the Sentret toppled backwards. However, by pure luck, its tail whipped out to steady it and, in the process, it whacked the ball. Another Sentret caught it. The Sentret stared at each other. A second later an excited rabble broke out. The Sentret holding the ball tossed it in the air, turned, and _whacked _it with its large tail. The Pokéball went speeding off into the distance. There was another excited uproar and all the Sentret started to pursue it.

"It's not a toy!" Kaida cried. "Stop hitting my Pokéball!" She turned on Nila and gave her a vicious punch to the arm. "If we don't get Cyndaquil back, I will _kill _you."

Nila rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine."

Kaida glared more fiercely.

"OK, OK," Nila said, backing off. "Let's go."

It wasn't hard to follow the Sentret: the game delighted them so much that they were obnoxiously loud. What was impossible was following the Sentret who had the Pokéball, because it changed rapidly. Kaida, Nila, and Chikorita darted through the woods after the rowdy Pokémon, all splitting into slightly different directions in their attempt to follow the Pokéball. Chikorita fired Razor Leaf, but when the attack did hit the Sentret, it was usually an accident and the wrong one: it was far more difficult to fire upon a moving target, especially while Chikorita was moving as well.

"Sent, Sent!" There were more squeaky giggles. "Sentret!"

"Idiotic creatures," Kaida cursed. Her black boot caught on a hole in the ground and she almost stumbled. Luckily, she stayed upright; unluckily, she fell into a tree. She swore some more. "Give me back Cyndaquil!"

Nila was quite a distance ahead, but she stopped quickly suddenly to scoop up something. Kaida drew closer and saw it was a Pokéball. _Her _Pokéball, she realised, after seeing the flame stickers that she had added to it the previous night. She grabbed it from Nila and clutched it like it was a lifeline. She heaved a sigh of relief and released Cyndaquil.

Nothing came out. She clicked the Pokéball again.

"What... Where...?" Kaida gaped at the Pokéball. Then... "NOOOOO!"

Nila covered her ears and took a few steps backwards. Kaida was distraught, but Nila could see this would rapidly change into fury. This happened even more quickly than expected but, fortunately, Nila was just out of reach when Kaida lashed out.

"STUPID SENTRET!" she shouted. She turned to Nila, who very wisely took another step backwards. "Come on," she said briskly. "We need to find Cyndaquil." She followed this up by turning around and stomping off.

The Sentret had dispersed, which meant they had no idea which direction to start searching in. They skirted the thornier bushes as they stumbled through the forest, looking for any trace of the small, fire Pokémon. Kaida kept her eyes peeled, swinging her head from side to side, while Nila wandered behind her, inspecting the scratches on her arms. Chikorita walked between Kaida and Nila, checking the low places that the two girls might not notice at first glance.

"Sent!"

A Sentret spun out of the bushes in front of Kaida, blocking her way. She staggered backwards two steps. When the Sentret continued to stare at her, refusing to move, Kaida marched forwards again.

"All right," she snapped. "Where did Cyndaquil go?"

Sentret bounced up and down several times on its tail. Chikorita and Nila caught up with Kaida, standing by her as she faced down the twitching Pokémon. Abruptly, it launched itself at Chikorita, attempting to use Scratch.

Chikorita met the claws head on with a Tackle. Sentret was bowled over backwards, ending up in a heap with its large tail waving in the air. When it got up again and began to move forwards, Chikorita waved the leaf on its head threateningly. Sentret's eyes widened and it squeaked. A second later, it darted off

Kaida swore. This day was off to a _terrible_ start. Could it get any worse? She continued to walk through the trees and shrubs, inwardly grumbling about her misfortune. She even kicked the bottom of a tree, but this didn't really help her: she only ended up with a hurt foot and a bad shock as several Pidgey launched themselves out of the tree. They didn't attack her, however, so the small group continued on.

Then, finally, Kaida's miseries were at an end. They emerged from a group of trees to see a bemused looking Cyndaquil. A woman with long, black hair was hovering over him, cooing contently. As soon as Cyndaquil saw Kaida, he ran towards her, an ecstatic look on his tiny face. He leapt and into her arms, where she snuggled him happily. He was safe!

"You're never going back in your Pokéball again," Kaida declared.

Nila thought this was a little extreme. She also thought she better not comment. Instead, she settled for turning away with her eyebrows raised.

Kaida continued to hug her Cyndaquil until she felt something scratchy on her face. She opened her eyes and found Cyndaquil was wearing a pink bow around its neck. She froze. How had that got there? She turned her eyes accusingly to the only feasible culprit.

"Is this cutie yours?"

Kaida took in the appearance of the older girl, who could have been aged anything from her late teens to her early twenties. She was wearing a pink bow herself, using it as a band for her hair, and she had matched it with a pink dress and shoes. She even had a little pink backpack.

"Did you put _this_ on Cyndaquil?" Kaida demanded.

"Isn't it adorable?" the woman squealed, in a voice that should have belonged to a five year old.

"It's... _pink_." The words were said with utter disgust. Kaida _hated_ pink.

"I know!" the woman cried, completely oblivious to Kaida's sour thoughts about the new accessory. "But even boys can wear pink these days. It's very fashionable!"

Kaida wouldn't inflict that horrible colour on a girl either. It was so ugly!

"I'm Tuscany!" the woman babbled. "Tuscany of Tuesday."

"It's Monday," Kaida said, because if she said anything else then it would be a vicious insult to the monstrosity around Cyndaquil's neck.

Tuscany beamed. "I know, I know," she chirped, "but he was so cute. I couldn't resist! You can't blame me!"

This was making no sense to Kaida whatsoever. She ignored the woman in favour of stroking Cyndaquil.

"I better go," Tuscany said cheerfully. "Good luck!"

She skipped off, swinging her little backpack from side to side.

"What a weirdo," Kaida muttered.

As soon as the woman was gone, she started to yank the pink bow from Cyndaquil's neck. Luckily, it came off quite easily, and Kaida dropped it on the floor.

"Don't litter," Nila lectured. She picked the bow up and shoved it in her bag. She'd drop it in a bin the next chance that she got.

"Some Sentret could play with it," Kaida said dismissively. She was too busy cuddling Cyndaquil to care about that.

"Or it could choke on it and die."

Kaida couldn't find the will to care. Those terrors had stolen her Cyndaquil! She clipped her Pokéball back to her belt and put Cyndaquil on her shoulder, where it clung on using her body and her bag. Once he was settled, Kaida turned back to Nila.

"We better get going," she said. Then her eyes narrowed. "If you ever make me lose Cyndaquil again," she warned, "I will poison your milk."

Nila glared back. "You can't threaten the milk," she hissed.

"Oh, just watch me," Kaida said.

They glared at each other for a few more minutes before Chikorita got bored and butted Nila's leg. The two girls snapped out of it and started to walk.

"So," Kaida said, amiable again, "who do you think that crazy woman was?"

Nila shrugged. "Escaped mental patient?"

Kaida thought that was quite a good suggestion because, really, who went around sticking bows on Pokémon?

* * *

The day went on. Kaida used Cyndaquil to ward off some Pidgey who wanted to steal their lunch and Chikorita battled some Sentret who started to follow them, twirling on their tails in a bizarre dancing ritual. The afternoon wore on and the evening approached, with the summer sky gradually darkening. It was at this point that they decided they ought to find somewhere to set up their camp. They were walking through particularly dense trees, so they were forced to continue to find a place big enough to put their tent. It was because of this that they stumbled across a glade with a tent already set up.

"'Dile!"

A blue Pokémon jumped out at them and Chikorita reflexively sent Razor Leaf in its direction. The Pokémon skipped out of the way, whirling and bouncing around them in an odd dance. It quacked loudly, perhaps in indignation, and then sent a Water Gun at Chikorita so quickly that she was unable to dodge. Chikorita was flung into the tent and, a second later, they heard, "OW!"

A boy with brown hair stuck his head out of the tent. He climbed out and brushed dirt from his knees. When he straightened up, Kaida's first thoughts were that, despite being about their age, he was very tall.

"Totodile," he said sternly.

The blue Pokémon, in the middle of a jig, ignored him. It pranced around Kaida and Nila, quite unconcerned by its trainer's reaction.

"Chikorita attacked it first," Nila said, which appeared to be her way of apologising. "She was startled."

"Eh," the boy said, shrugging his shoulders. "He'd probably have done it anyway. He's a bit... hyperactive?"

Kaida thought "on crack" would be a better description. The blue Pokémon spun round and round and round... until it finally collapsed on the floor due to dizziness.

"I'm John," the boy said, offering a hand.

Nila stared at it. She wasn't a fan of touching people. Kaida sighed and shook it instead.

"I'm Kaida," she greeted, "and this is Nila."

She was distracted by Totodile leaping over the crackling fire next to them. It landed on the other side and cackled manically, immediately turning around to attempt it again. This time its tail caught the flame and it let out a shriek – or an extremely high pitched quack – of pain. It waddled off to sulk, but this only lasted a few minutes; it soon was harassing Chikorita by spinning around the grass Pokémon in circles, leading Chikorita to retaliate with a forceful Tackle attack from sheer irritation.

"He's a bit excitable," John said, with a shrug and a grin. "But what can you do about that?"

Strap him down, Kaida thought. That thing was insane!

"Do you mind if we camp here?" Nila asked. "It's getting dark and I'm not sure if there's anywhere else nearby."

John shook his head, giving them a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Not at all. Feel free. We can share the fire. I'm toasting some potato waffles."

Nila's eyes widened and she leant over to inspect them. They did look rather tasty.

"You can have some if you like." John seemed amused by her hungry expression. "You should probably put your tent up first though."

Kaida and Nila's tent was easy enough to put up as it was tiny and popped into shape when released from its bag. They used John's hammer to put some pegs in and then sat around the fire to talk with the tall boy. Cyndaquil pressed up to Kaida, its snout in its bowl of Pokéchow, while Chikorita and Totodile squabbled. John's Pokémon (who he said was a boy) kept trying to steal Chikorita's food and Nila's Pokémon reacted quite violently to this.

"I'm not doing the gym challenges," John informed them. "I just wanted to travel. I'm interested in things other than battling. Like your Pokédexes. Can I look?" His eyes gleamed. "I don't have one. I wish I did."

Kaida let him fiddle with her Pokédex, which he did extremely enthusiastically, even at the expense of his food going cold. "I want to be a fire gym leader one day," she told him.

A fire gym! Kaida sighed wistfully. There would be flames _everywhere_. Perhaps there would even be some lava, although she wasn't sure where she'd get that from. Then there would be the number one criteria: fire Pokémon. They would be _everywhere_. She'd have them all! The fluffy Flareon, the majestic Rapidash, the sluggy Slugma, the fierce Blaziken, the rugged Arcanine...

It was dark by this point, and John gave back the Pokédex and crawled into his tent. He came out with an enormous, bulging backpack, which he threw to the ground. The resulting crash was enormous. What in Johto did he have in there, Kaida wondered. Her eyes widened as John pulled out a frying pan, a large cartoon of apple juice, another portable aluminium barbeque, and a plastic bag filled with several shiny, red apples. The bag hadn't deflated at all either, which seemed to defy all logic.

"How do you fit all that in there?" Kaida demanded.

Nila's mind, however, was on simpler matters. "Ooh. Apple juice. Can I have some?"

John shook his head. "Touch the apple juice, feel the frying pan." He was only half joking.

Nila shrunk back a little, glaring, but her eyes were still firmly fixed on the apple juice. Kaida sighed. This was all going to end badly. Nila was _extremely _fussy with her drinks – she only liked three different things – but what she did like, she liked a lot. Apple juice was second only to her beloved milk and, even as Kaida watched, Nila started to slink forwards again, eyes still on the prize. Kaida was sure she would try to sneak attack and steal some apple juice later. She wouldn't be able to restrain herself.

"Seriously," Kaida said, after John chucked out a fold-up deckchair. "Defying the laws of physics!"

"Nah." John continued to root through the bag. "Although I am interested in that," he said, sticking his arm even further into the bag. Most of it had disappeared. "How Pokémon can defy the laws applying to humans. Their abilities are amazing. There are theories about them coming from a completely different universe–AHA!" He whipped out a pair of binoculars and brandished them triumphantly. "Hoothoot, here I come!"

"Hoothoot?" Nila asked.

John nodded. "I want to catch one. Their Foresight move is fascinating..."

He started to rant about bring drawing ghost Pokémon into the same plane of reality. Kaida tuned out. She was interested in Pokémon but she couldn't understand half the things he was saying.

"Plus," John said finally, "it looks funny. So, I want one."

"I see," Nila said, her mouth twitching.

John sat in his deckchair and started to peer through his binoculars. Kaida raised her eyebrows: all this fuss over a silly flying Pokémon. She got out her sleeping bag; she was bored so she thought she might as well sleep. If it was a fire Pokémon then she would understand. Kaida stopped unravelling her sleeping bag and stared at Cyndaquil. Yes, she had gone through a lot of hassle to get her first Pokémon, but it was all worth it...

Nila prodded her. "You've gone into daydream land again," she said. "Come on. I need your help. John's distracted so it's time to strike. The apple juice will be _mine_."

Kaida looked over at John. He was now prowling around the edges of the glade with his binoculars out, searching for the Hoothoot. Kaida huffed.

"No," she said, "I'm going to sleep." She climbed into the tent and got into her sleeping bag. She wasn't going to risk a whack from the frying pan. It looked heavy... She sighed contently and reached towards Cyndaquil, who had come into the tent after her and curled up snoozing beside her. He could protect her from the evil frying pan with its fiery greatness...

"I think I see one!" John hissed suddenly. He turned around and his eyes fell onto his empty deckchair, where he had placed the apple juice once he had stood up. "Nila! Where's my apple juice?"

John picked up the frying pan and waved it menacingly.

"What?" Nila jolted. She had been sitting cross legged with her head resting on the palm of her hand. She had actually started to nap in that position as she waited for the opportune moment to grab the apple juice. "Huh?"

Chikorita, also asleep, awoke from Nila's sudden movement. She looked decidedly grumpy.

"Give it back now," John ordered. "That was _my _apple juice."

John was actually quite cross. He had fed Nila and Kaida and then Nila had repaid him by drinking his drink! It just wasn't on!

"I don't have it!" Nila insisted. "Kaida!"

From inside the tent, Kaida mumbled, "I'm asleep!"

John scowled. He opened his mouth to shout at Nila again when he heard the sound of wings flapping. He spun around and put his binoculars to his face. Peering through, he saw that the Hoothoot had disappeared.

"Great," he said, cursing. "Now I've lost it." He turned back to Nila and glared. "It's your fault!"

"Me?"

"You distracted me! Now, where's the apple juice? You can't have drunk it all."

Nila put her hands on her head. How many times was she going to have to say it? "I didn't take it!"

John scoffed. "I'm not a complete idiot."

"Well, clearly you are, because I didn't take it."

"Urgh! Shut up!" Kaida groaned, pushing her face further into the sleeping bag and tightening her arms around her beloved Cyndaquil, which, she had discovered, made quite a comfy pillow.

"You can't just steal my apple juice," John said angrily. "You just... You can't..." He threw his arms up in the air. "We'll settle this with a battle."

"How does that settle anything?" Nila demanded. She stood up anyway.

John didn't have the answer to that either. Instead, he said, "It'll make me feel better when I beat you."

He nudged Totodile with his foot and the water Pokémon was up immediately, quacking excitedly.

"Chikorita," Nila said, shaking her sleeping Pokémon. "Time to battle."

Chikorita gave Nila a dirty look, but she got up.

Totodile hopped around energetically, where Chikorita was still quite lethargic from sleep. Chikorita watched on, unimpressed by the display, and turned up her nose. She then returned to her sleeping position.

"Totodile, Scratch!"

Totodile launched himself at Chikorita, who was bowled backwards. Chikorita leapt up angrily, now fully awake, shaking her head.

"Tackle!" Nila ordered.

Chikorita skipped over Nila's sleeping bag and slammed into Totodile, who flew back several metres but soon regained his footing. Totodile danced tauntingly and cackled, which enraged its opponent.

"Shut up!" Kaida shouted again, thoroughly irritated. "Stop fighting!"

She sat up and groped around the entrance of the tent for her bag. Perhaps she could find something to serve as earmuffs to block the fight out. However, to her bewilderment, she could not find her bag.

"Hey!" she yelped. "What... My bag?"

Nila and John paused, looking around for the missing bag and the perpetrator. It hadn't been either of them, so who was the thief?

The answer them came in the form of a smug hoot above their heads. Up on the branch of a tall tree, a Hoothoot sat next to a leaking carton of apple juice – its claws had pierced the sides – and Kaida's bag, which was getting small smudges of juice on it.

"Oi!" Kaida shouted, shaking her fist.

She tried to climb out the tent but tripped. Cyndaquil poked his head out next to her. The Hoothoot only looked amused. It hooted again. Kaida scowled. Bloody birds!

"Hoothoot!" John cried. His eyes shone. "The perfect specimen!"

He withdrew a Pokéball from one of his many pockets.

"It's a kleptomaniac Hoothoot," Nila said sceptically. "Why would you want that?"

"Give me back my bag!" Kaida yelled. She was out of the tent and standing up.

"Plus," Nila added. "It's a bird. There will be bird poop everywhere." She shuddered violently at the thought.

John ignored them all. "Go, Totodile! Climb up that tree and use Scratch!"

Totodile bounced up the side of the tree, digging his claws into the bark, but Hoothoot merely flapped its wings and flew out of the nest. Totodile scrambled after it, flinging himself into the air, but he missed, as Hoothoot evaded, and went tumbling to the ground. In addition, as Totodile jumped, it had knocked the nest from the tree, and the apple juice landed with a on the ground between Nila and John, drenching them both with sticky liquid. Kaida caught her bag safely and cradled it to her chest.

"Chikorita," said Nila, furiously wiping juice from her eyes. "Tackle!"

Hoothoot flew out of reach, teasing them all, as Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita all failed to land an attack. John's eyes were shining even brighter at the prospect of catching such an intelligent creature, Nila was enraged about her hair and clothes being sticky with juice, and Kaida was just happy to have her bag back. Plus, Cyndaquil looked cute jumping around.

"Come on," John said, now frustrated. "If you can't weaken it then I can't catch it!"

Hoothoot continued to dodge, flying just out of reach. Now Kaida was getting annoyed. She was tired and wanted to _sleep_, and she couldn't with the current ruckus. She waited until the Hoothoot drew near, its back to her as it dodged the attacks playfully, and then, _whack_, hit it over the head with the frying pan. It crumpled down to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"Well," said John slowly. "That's not how I expected my first battle and catch to go... But I'll take whatever I can."

He threw the Pokéball. It flashed for a moment before stopping. Hoothoot had been successfully caught! And now, Kaida thought, relieved, they all could finally go to sleep.


	5. Day 2

**A/N -**

As always, feedback is appreciated**. **Point out mistakes/typos/plot holes, say what you liked/disliked, etc, etc.**  
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* * *

(DAY TWO)

John didn't seem to be able to stop grinning the next morning due to his success in capturing Hoothoot – ignoring the fact that the success had been mostly due to Kaida – the previous night. While Nila and Kaida were stooped and tired, he strode into Cherrygrove City, invigorated and smiling. His Totodile was prancing alongside him, mimicking its trainer's jaunty steps.

Cherrygrove City wasn't really much of a city, so it was a little strange for it to be called that. It was bigger than New Bark, which was really little more than a village, but while there were shops and a Pokémon Centre in Cherrygrove, it seemed to be a middle-sized town at best. Its seaside port was negligible, which was a little strange considering its proximity to Kanto, which tended to ship to Olivine City, despite the quite hazardous seas around there.

John lived in Cherrygrove City, but had travelled to New Bark to get his first Pokémon there instead. He claimed there were far better choices in New Bark, thanks to the Pokémon Professor, and John also said that he was thankful that he had been allowed to have one. John's house was on the outskirts, near to the sea and the road to New Bark, and it was pretty with pink paint. It didn't suit John one bit. He wore dark, well worn jeans and a forest green jacket, and he definitely had an air of practicality about him. It didn't suit his mother either. She _did _greet them in a flowery apron, bustle them in, and offer them food, but she followed this up by setting her Poliwag on some Rattata that had invaded the pantry. She sounded particularly fierce, and yelled several expletives before remembering they were there and apologising.

"I have to go to work," she said after a few minutes, "but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. Just leave me a note if you leave town, all right, John? And don't forget to lock up."

"Yeah, will do," John said, mostly ignoring her in favour of his cornflakes.

Once they had finished breakfast, Kaida decided to have a short shower. After this, she took a nap on the sofa while Nila and John too their respective showers. They came back downstairs, hair free from apple juice, and John put their clothes in the washing machine.

"That'll take a while," John said. "Anything you want to do?"

"We have to pick up our Pokémon League cards," Nila reminded Kaida.

Trainers had to sign up for the competition beforehand, as they had months ago, and they had to designate a Pokémon Centre to pick them up from. Cherrygrove, being the closest Pokémon Centre to New Bark, was the natural choice.

"But that won't take long," John pointed out. "After that?"

They ended up going to the beach, which, unlike New Bark, was sandy. Kaida kicked off her boots, rolled up her combat trousers, and went to paddle in the sea. The water was shockingly cold, which made her scamper away for a few seconds. However, she soon ventured out again, dipping her toes in the gentle froth. Cyndaquil investigated with her, following her down to the water, but when he poked his nose in and was splashed by the next swell of the sea, he retreated to a safe distance and stayed there. He was joined by Chikorita, who watched Totodile leaping around the waves in some disdain.

John – who stomped along the beach in his large walking boots, sending sand flying over a disgruntled Nila – released Hoothoot to introduce himself to his new Pokémon. Hoothoot seemed to have recovered from its whack to the head, courtesy of Kaida, but it still looked a little confused. It swung its round head from side to side before focusing on John intently.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Kaida called from the edge of the sea.

Hoothoot made an indignant sound.

"Girl," John replied.

Hoothoot bobbed her body up and down in response. John patted Hoothoot on the head. She permitted the contact grudgingly at first but, after a few minutes, she pecked him when he tried to move away. John sighed. He continued to stroke the soft feathers of his Pokémon whilst lecturing the flying Pokémon about how stealing was wrong. Hoothoot didn't seem to be paying much attention, but John was oblivious to this. The talking bored Nila, however, and she asked John if he wanted to try a battle to test Hoothoot out.

"Yes," John said, "if we are going to travel the world, you'll need to turn your talents to something other than _stealing_."

Nila tried not to laugh at Hoothoot's unimpressed expression. Nila called over Chikorita and, as the grass Pokémon slipped through the sand, Hoothoot flapped her wings and was airborne in a matter of seconds.

"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!"

Hoothoot shot higher, evading the flying leaves easily. The wind brushed through Hoothoot's feathers, whistling faintly as the bird spun and shot back to the ground, wings tucked into its sides.

"Tackle!"

The order was from both trainers. Hoothoot sped up her descent while Chikorita braced herself. However, at the last second, Nila yelled, "Dodge!"

Chikorita, sand sliding underneath her, was scarcely able to move, but she managed to skid far enough to avoid Hoothoot, who pulled up a little too late, slamming into the ground. Her crash was softened by the loose sand, but it still took a few seconds for Hoothoot to regain her senses. John looked a little sheepish; Chikorita and Nila looked smug.

"Come on, Hoothoot," he urged.

Hoothoot flapped her short wings forcefully and launched herself back into the air. This time, the plummet was slower. This enabled Chikorita to send Razor Leaf at the bird, but Hoothoot was far enough away to dodge it. Chikorita readied herself again, but this time Hoothoot was prepared, tracking the movement of the grass Pokémon and attacking it with Peck, instead of Tackle, which was far more effective. Once her attack was over, Hoothoot tried to get back into the air, but Chikorita was quick to recover. She slammed a Tackle into the back of Hoothoot, sending it crumpling into the sand. Hoothoot rose up, flapping her wings against Chikorita, and whirling to attack her with Peck. It was at this moment that John's phone went off.

"Washing will be done," he said happily. "I need to go put it in the tumble dryer. I'll be back!" He grabbed his Pokéball and returned Hoothoot, saying happily, "Good job." Next, he turned to look for Totodile, who was quacking enthusiastically as he flailed his legs in the sea, completely disturbing the water. "Back you come," he said, raising his other Pokéball. He didn't really trust Totodile to behave himself if left without supervision, which was wise.

Kaida continued to walk up the beach, moving further and further away from John's house. Nila, on the other hand, decided to lie down on a towel and have a nice relaxing nap. Chikorita, happily sunbathing, spread herself out next to her trainer. It couldn't have been too long that Nila was asleep, but when she woke up it did seem darker. It was late afternoon, she realised after checking her watch, so it wouldn't be dark for hours. She turned her head to check on Chikorita and had to suppress a very undignified scream.

Inches away from her, staring intently and clicking its pincers, was a Krabby. Nila tried to move backwards slowly, so it wouldn't notice and charge, and the Krabby continued to stare. Chikorita, asleep on the other side of Krabby, snoozed obliviously. Nila wanted to wake Chikorita up to help her fend off the Krabby, but she was afraid if she spoke then Krabby would attack her. Slowly but surely, she slid backwards, away from the clicking Pokémon and closer to safety. She had almost made it to the other side of the towel when the Krabby twitched, violently, and scurried forwards. It was now the same distance away from her as before. Nila gulped.

There was nothing else for it: she was going to have to move _really _quickly. She steeled her nerve and, in one swift motion, she rolled away from the Krabby and yelled, "Chikorita!" She followed this up by leaping to her feet and running backwards as the Krabby charged. The sand shifted beneath her, and Nila fell to the floor, but she was up again quickly, dodging out of the way of the pincers which reached out. Nila tried again: "Chikorita!"

Chikorita finally awoke and, thankfully, when she saw her trainer menaced, she snapped into attention, firing a Razor Leaf at Krabby. Unfortunately, Krabby chose that moment to scuttle to one side, which meant the attack narrowly missed Nila.

"Hey!" Nila objected. "Be careful!"

Chikorita tossed her head in response. Well at least she was doing more than Nila!

Nila then spotted a piece of driftwood. She hurried towards it and scooped it up, using it to fend off Krabby as it continued to stalk her.

"How about you grab this instead of my leg?" Nila said, waving the stick in Krabby's face, while continuing to run backwards.

Krabby knocked the driftwood aside, completely disinterested.

"Chikorita!" Nila yelped.

Chikorita charged forwards, intent on rescuing her trainer. Unfortunately, the sand was a climate better suited to Krabby, as she lost her grip and her legs collapsed. Chikorita bounced up again immediately, but Nila and Krabby were even further away.

"Land!" Nila shouted, dodging around the Krabby and heading inland. That thing was quick! It caught up to her in a minute, and could have sliced her leg apart had Chikorita not rebuffed it with a Razor Leaf. "Thanks, Chikorita."

Chikorita didn't have time to bask in the phrase: instead, she had to fire more Razor Leaf as the Krabby regained its mobility and started after Nila again. Nila hit Krabby back with the driftwood, but Krabby grabbed hold of it and splintered it. Nila let it go and decided to just concentrate on running: apparently she was useless against the menace.

Then, finally, they ran onto the grass. Here, they could move quicker, and neither looked back as they ran away from the crazed Krabby. They reached the nearest road before Nila stopped and proceeded to look in every possible direction. She breathed a sigh of relief: there was no sign of Krabby at all.

"That was close," she said to Chikorita, who bobbed her head in agreement. "Thanks."

Nila just hoped the Krabby didn't turn around and go after Kaida, wherever the red head had disappeared to. Nila worried for about two seconds before shrugging her concerns away. Kaida had an overly protective Cyndaquil as a Pokémon. She'd be fine.

Kaida, at that moment, had walked a very long way along the beach. She paddled in the sea, her toes squelching in the soft sand, while Cyndaquil walked next to her, safely out of reach of the waves. Kaida held her shoes loosely in each hand, occasionally clapping them together, just for the sake of it. She hummed a little tune from her favourite musician – who also adored fire Pokémon – and generally enjoyed the beach. New Bark had rubbish beaches: all stones and seaweed. It was far nicer in Cherrygrove. There were still stones, but there was a lot of sand too.

"Cynda'," Cyndaquil said suddenly, running ahead.

Kaida quickly sprinted after her Pokémon, who was moving in the direction of a small blob on the beach. When Kaida got close enough, and Cyndaquil stopped ahead, she saw it was a Tentacool, wheezing quite horribly on the beach. It looked _disgusting_, Kaida thought. It was all slimy and gooey and gross: a complete contrast to her adorable Cyndaquil, who stood next to it. Cyndaquil, who at that moment, looked up pleadingly at Kaida.

Tentacool was stuck.

Kaida couldn't think much else because the Tentacool, beached and in pain, suddenly lashed out one of its stingers at Cyndaquil, who was hit with a painful Poison Sting.

"Are you OK?" Kaida said, scooping up Cyndaquil and backing away from the Tentacool so that it could no longer reach them. "You seem OK. Don't seem to be poisoned..." She examined Cyndaquil closely, but he seemed more shocked than harmed. She set Cyndaquil back on the ground and the fire Pokémon moved closer to Tentacool again. "Stop it," she protested. "It'll sting you again and you'll actually get poisoned this time!" She did have an Antidote in her bag, but she'd rather she didn't have to use it. She didn't want her poor Cyndaquil getting hurt!

Unfortunately, Cyndaquil refused to budge. Kaida gave an aggravated sigh. It looked like she was somehow going to have to help the beached Tentacool back into the sea. The waves weren't that far away, but there was a hot sun above, and Tentacool was still making awful rasping sounds.

"We'll have to roll it," Kaida said. She examined the Tentacool. There was no _way _she was touching that thing with her hands, even if there was no change it would sting her. She shuddered at the thought of the goo. Water Pokémon were so gross. "Come on, Cyndaquil. Help me find something."

They went up towards the land, looking for something – anything – to push the Tentacool. Kaida could only find a discarded bucket with a large hole in it. She sighed and picked up the dismal looking bucket.

"Keep looking for a big stick or branch," she instructed Cyndaquil. "I'm gonna go splash water over Tentacool."

It was difficult – considering the giant hole – to get a lot of water in the bucket, but it would have to be enough. The Tentacool did sound a little relieved, at the very least, when she splashed him with some of the cool sea water. However, it did not stop the Tentacool from lashing out and trying to sting her again. This made the task more difficult, as Kaida had to throw the water from a safe distance. She scowled at the annoying Pokémon. She was trying to be nice and this was the gratitude she received in return! Unbelievable.

"'Quil!"

Cyndaquil came running back down the beach, dragging along a floral print tray. It would be good to scoop the Tentacool up and along with, Kaida thought. The only problem was the two stingers, which would easily reach her if she tried it.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she told the Tentacool, inching closer. "Just let me roll you back into the sea!" She took another step forwards and immediately had to jump back as it tried another Poison Sting. "Oi! Ungrateful piece of goo... Hey!"

Kaida and Cyndaquil backed off while Kaida decided what to do next. The tide was rising, but slowly, and the Tentacool clearly needed to be moved. She didn't want to result to knocking it out – Cyndaquil might be stung – and she wasn't even sure Cyndaquil _could_. Who knew how strong the Tentacool was? It clearly wasn't intelligent, having washed up on the beach, so it probably needed some brawn to survive as long as it had.

"OK," she whispered to Cyndaquil. "Be _very _careful, but I need you to go in front of him and try to distract him while I roll him."

It probably wasn't the best plan she'd ever come up with.

Cyndaquil approached the Tentacool, who waved its stingers threateningly. Kaida sneaked around behind it, preparing the tea tray. It was going to have to be a quick dart in, push, and then out again to regroup. Anything to get it closer to the sea.

"'Quil'!" Cyndaquil squeaked, jumping within range of the stingers.

Tentacool responded by lashing out. "'Cool!"

Cyndaquil dodged the stingers in the nick of time. Kaida took the opportunity to scoop and _push_. She then had to leap backwards as, while flipping over, the stingers went for her. She sighed. The Tentacool was only about a metre close to the sea, yet they had enraged it so it thrashed out its stingers in all directions. Kaida fetched the bucket and traipsed down to the sea; she might as well throw some water over the stupid Pokémon until it calmed down again.

A fair distance away, Nila and Chikorita had wandered into the centre of Cherrygrove. Nila had decided to visit the Mart: she wanted to check whether she had forgotten to buy anything, plus it meant that she could see if anything was on sale. She walked up and down the endless isles filled with Pokéballs and various medications. She already had a fairly large stock of Pokémon catching and healing equipment so she decided she didn't need anything after all.

"I can't believe they've run out of Ultraballs," someone muttered. "All they have is Pokéballs and Greatballs."

Nila rolled her eyes. She couldn't afford Ultra Balls, which were six times as expensive as Pokéballs due to their increased performance. They were also sort of ugly, she thought. Her parents only had one Pokémon in an Ultraball and the rest were in the cheaper Pokéballs and the occasional Greatball.

Growing bored, Nila left the shop with Chikorita. Her eyes widened as she spotted an ice cream parlour. Nila loved anything to do with milk, especially ice cream, so she was across the road in an instant. She peered through the window and her eyes almost popped out of her head at the variety of flavours. How could she discriminate between all her favourite flavours? They had mint choc chip, vanilla, fudge... She looked down at Chikorita, wondering if she would like ice cream too. Judging by Chikorita's hungry expression, she definitely liked the idea.

_Click, click_.

Nila's gaze swung to the flower pot next to the window and, behind this, stood a familiar Pokémon.

Krabby.

"Aah!" she yelled. "Run!"

Chikorita, who had looked around at the same time, didn't waste a second. They both sprinted out of there, with Nila's grumbling increasing.

"Stupid stalker Krabby... Stopping me from getting my ice cream... The nerve!"

John, on the other hand, had returned home to find the tumble dryer had broken. He hung out everyone's clothes to dry and then set back towards the beach, hoping Kaida and Nila hadn't strayed too far. It was growing darker and, as evening drew on, the Pokémon came out to play. He spotted a few Corsola bouncing along the beach, occasionally butting spiked heads, and they were joined by some Krabby, who waved their pincers around happily. A man wandered by them, swinging his arms and pointing his face towards the sky to take in the fresh, sea air. John could empathise with this – he adored the outdoors – but it didn't stop him from swallowing a laugh when the man tripped over a rock, all because he wasn't looking where he was going. As the man stumbled, something slipped out of his pocket.

"Hey," John called out.

The man either didn't hear him or ignored him.

John jogged towards the fallen object, which appeared to be some sort of blue crystal rock. He was only a few metres away when one of the Corsola bounced on top of it. The pink Pokémon jumped back, examined the find, and then squealed. It clapped its tiny hands together and the other Corsola bounded over. They formed a ring around the small object and, quite suddenly, started to sway.

"Core, core!"

This attracted the attention of the Krabby, who scuttled over to see what the fuss was. John spotted them forming another ring around the Corsola before he ran after the man. He caught up with him, tapped him on the shoulder and, when the man turned around, John realised why he was hadn't heard him: he was wearing earphones. What was the point of talking a nice stroll along the beach if there was music blaring, John wondered. The man was crazy! Clearly, he didn't properly appreciate nature.

"You dropped something," John said, after the man pulled out his earphones. "Back there. The Corsola are, er, going a bit mad."

The man frowned in confusion as he patted his pockets. John could tell he realised what he had dropped when his eyes widened in horror. "My Mystic Water!" he cried.

He raced back towards the Corsola but, when he tried to get close, the Krabby formed a defensive wall and snapped at him menacingly. John followed the man.

"What is a Mystic Water?"

"It's just something that seems to empower water Pokémon," the man told him. He wrung his hands nervously. "Oh, darn it. I really need that back."

The Krabby clicked threateningly when he took another step forwards. He retreated back to John.

"Are you a Pokémon trainer?" the man asked. "Can you help?"

"Yeah," John said dubiously, "but I can't fight all of them."

The man looked very disheartened. John's brain clicked into gear.

"I guess I could do something," he said. "Step back." They retreated several metres up the beach and John released Totodile. He crouched next to his first Pokémon and muttered, "Do whatever you can to distract them, OK?"

Totodile nodded his head and did an impromptu jig. He quacked loudly and darted towards the Krabby, quickly inserting himself into the circle and spinning around furiously .The Krabby eyed him nervously, but when one reached out with its pincers, Totodile easily leapt over its head and started his bizarre dance on the other side of them. He then jostled into a Corsola, who puffed up in anger, spinning around to see who was responsible. Totodile back flipped over the Corsola, hiding from view, causing the Corsola to believe it had been shoved by the Corsola next to it. A miniature brawl ensued.

"Go, Hoothoot!" John said, holding Hoothoot's Pokéball high so the bird erupted out into the air. "Fetch the Mystic Water. Stealthy!"

Stealth and stealing was Hoothoot's speciality. She circled high above the wrestling crowd of Pokémon, waiting for the opportune moment. Totodile continued to dance around and cause mayhem, quacking cheerfully. He kicked up sand onto a Krabby, who blinked angrily and charged. However, Totodile darted out of the way and the Krabby slammed into a Corsola. The Corsola swelled in rage and shot a furious Water Pulse in response.

"'Dile!" Totodile squawked triumphantly.

Hoothoot waited until the moment that no one was watching and then plunged. She swooped down and seized the Mystic Water with her claws. In a flash, she was in the air again, soaring away.

"Come back, Totodile," John called.

Hoothoot swooped over John and dropped the Mystic Water. John caught it carefully and handed it over to the man. He then drew out Hoothoot's Pokéball and returned her in a flash of red. Totodile, by this point, had returned, kicking up its legs joyfully. John saw one Krabby looking suspiciously in their direction and decided it was high time they got out of there. He patted the man of the back and they made a hasty retreat.

Kaida wasn't faring as well. She had managed to push the Tentacool twice more, but they were still several metres away from the edge of the sea. She continued to splash water on Tentacool with the broken bucket and privately lamented the waste of her day. She had sent Cyndaquil off to find something else to help push Tentacool with, but he had only returned with a rusty key, a bag of boiled sweets, and a toy car. It was amazing the things people left on a beach! She even tried to throw a few of the boiled sweets at Tentacool, hoping it would eat them and shut up, but it had just lobbed them back at her. She hadn't ducked quite in time and it _hurt _when they were thrown with that much force!

Cyndaquil had been gone for quite some time, Kaida realised abruptly, so she started to look around worriedly. She felt a wave of relief when she saw Cyndaquil reappear, stumbling backwards and dragging something quite heavy. It was a long plank of wood! Kaida rushed to assist him. Excellent! This would definitely be long enough to push Tentacool with. Well, she hoped it would be...

Poking the squidgy, raging Tentacool with the end of the wood, she eyed the stingers warily. Nope, it didn't look like they were long enough. She pushed the wood under Tentacool's body and flipped it over again, rolling it ever closer to the sea. Tentacool flailed but Kaida gingerly reached out and used the plank to flip the Pokémon over again. Almost at the sea, almost... One more flip... And then one of the stingers sneaked around her ankle and flipped her over. Tentacool and Kaida both went flying into the sea.

Kaida spluttered wildly. It wasn't deep, but there was an angry Tentacool in the water with her. When she opened her eyes, it was right in front of her _face_. She tried to scramble backwards, but she knew it would be quicker.

"'Quil!"

Cyndaquil leapt into the water, with no regard to his fear of it.

However, Tentacool, now in its home environment again, was basking. It submerged itself in the water and let out a great, content sigh. The anger leaked out from its body. Kaida stood, scooping the sopping wet Cyndaquil with her, and retreated to the beach. It was then she realised Tentacool _wasn't moving._ She placed Cyndaquil down on the sand and grabbed the plank.

"Idiot!" she snapped. "I've just spent hours getting you in the water and you're gonna get washed up again! Go out to sea!"

She hit it in the side with the plank. Tentacool ignored her. She hit it again. This time Tentacool cracked open an eye and moved. Slowly and deliberately, it drifted back out to sea. Kaida walked back up the beach and collapsed on the sand, her tiny Cyndaquil dropping down next to her. When she had the energy, she grabbed Cyndaquil into a hug.

"Thanks," she said, cuddling it fiercely. He had tried to save her! That was so _cute_! Then, she sighed. "I suppose we better go get dried off."

Cyndaquil nodded eagerly. It was worth it to save his trainer, but he _loathed _being wet.

Kaida sighed and got back to her wet. Cradling Cyndaquil in her arms, she headed back to John's.

It was only when Kaida was off the beach that she reached into her pocket and pulled out a soaking wet map, which proceeded to fall apart in her hands. She gaped at it in horror. Their map of Johto! Nila was going to kill her...

At the same point in time, Nila was also walking back to John's. Twitchy and paranoid, both Chikorita and Nila kept their eyes peeled for anything unusual. A slight crack of a twig caused both to jump. Nila could practically _hear_ the suspense music following her. That damn Krabby! It kept popping up everywhere! Why was it following her? They had seen it a few more times since the ice cream parlour and every time it had chased them. They hadn't seen it for a while though, which was making them both extremely anxious.

"Here's John's house," Nila said, glancing left and right. "We should be safe there..."

She spoke too soon. Sitting beneath John's swing set, was a clicking Krabby.

"Aah!" she yelped. "Here, too!"

Chikorita waved the leaf on her head, bristling. Enough was enough!

"Hey, you just get back?"

It was John, who wore an enormous grin.

"That Krabby!" Nila pointed at the offending Pokémon. "It's _following _me!"

John looked confused. "Oh. That's my Mum's."

Nila stared. "It attacked me."

John rolled his eyes. "I doubt that. He's perfectly safe."

He walked over to Krabby and gave it a pat on the head. The Krabby closed its eyes contently.

"See," John said. "Try it."

"Um, no thanks," Nila said, sliding sideways into the house.

Behind John's back, the Krabby opened its eyes at her and glared.

Nila was pouring herself a glass of milk to calm her nerves when Kaida returned. Thankfully, Krabby stayed in the garden, but Nila knew it was still watching her. John ate his stack of toast obliviously, still looking delighted.

"I had to push some stupid Tentacool into the sea." Kaida huffed. "And then..." She shifted nervously. How could she tell Nila she'd ruined their map? It was probably best to just blurt it out and get it over and done with. "I sort of ruined the map."

Nila slammed her empty glass down on the kitchen counter. "_What_?"

"We can buy a new one!" Kaida pleaded. "Don't be mad! It was an accident!"

Nila scowled.

"No need for that!" John said cheerfully. He drew something out of his bag. "I have the offical guidebook to Johto! I helped a guy out and his grandfather gave me this as thanks." He clutched the book to his chest. "It's a beauty! So much information about _everything_!" He looked like he was about to go onto his knees and worship it. Both Kaida and Nila raised their eyebrows. He ignored them. "It's _perfect_!"

"Riiight," Kaida said. "So you're coming with us then?"

"Sure, why not?" John asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"We've got to challenge the gyms so we'll be moving pretty quickly," Nila explained.

John shrugged again. That didn't bother him. "Well, I don't have to stay with you forever." He paused before commenting, "It's better than travelling alone anyway."

So, it seemed everything was settled, except for the matter of Krabby, whose presence kept Nila and Chikorita up all night.


	6. Day 3

(DAY THREE)

Since they had already wasted enough time, Kaida and Nila dragged themselves out of bed early the next day. John was already up, humming cheerfully in the kitchen, and ready to go. He had to have woken at an obscene hour, Kaida thought, eyeing him suspiciously over her toast, and there was something profoundly unnatural about that. She and Nila could hardly keep their eyes open and Nila was in a particularly foul mood. Kaida wasn't sure, however, if this counted: Nila's default mood was probably grumpy. While Nila continued to scowl through breakfast, Kaida perked up a little at the sight of Cyndaquil nibbling his breakfast. It was so sweet!

The route north of Cherrygrove gradually sloped uphill as they drew further and further away from the sea. They spotted a few people along the way, presumably hikers and other Pokémon trainers, but they didn't stop to speak to anybody until around ten o'clock where Kaida ran into a very unwelcome face.

"You," she hissed. "I thought Daddy was dropping you in Violet."

"He was!" Mary-Ann snapped. "He was a bit delayed. He'll catch up with me later. Plus, I heard there were some Ledyba around here."

Ledyba was quite cute, Kaida thought, and she normally didn't see the appeal in bug Pokémon. She swung her head from side to side to examine the long grass. She couldn't see a sign of any Pokémon. Turning back to Mary-Ann, she said, "You probably scared them off."

Mary-Ann glared. "I see you finally got Cyndaquil then."

"Yep," Kaida said proudly, raising a hand to stroke Cyndaquil, who was settled on her shoulder and back.

"A lot of people were pleased when you recovered them," Mary-Ann said, which shocked Kaida because it sort of sounded like a compliment. However, Mary-Ann swiftly continued, "It was nice to have the easy option back."

"What...? Hey!" Kaida curled her hands into fists. "Cyndaquil is _not _the easy option! Take it back!" She had wanted Cyndaquil because she loved it. It had nothing to do with the gym leaders of Johto and type match-ups. She could take far better care of her Pokémon than this dithering idiot.

"It's OK," Mary-Ann said patronisingly. "Some people can't handle the responsibility. It's not really anything to be ashamed of. I'm sure they'll become better trainers _eventually_."

Kaida's hand twitched. She wanted to slap that smug look from the blonde girl's face. She looked at Nila and John for support, but found John was inspecting a plant several metres away and Nila just looked bored. The latter wasn't surprising as Mary-Ann had now turned to prattling about how her _darling _Chikorita was so obedient and docile – all due to her skill of course – and how it was picking up skills quickly thanks to her skilful guidance.

"Interesting," Nila said, speaking in a tone which suggested it was anything but that.

"I admire you, Nila. Taking up the challenge. I never would have thought you'd dare, considering your company. Apparently I had you pegged wrong."

That was it. Kaida marched towards Mary-Ann and shoved her face into the other girl's.

"That's it!" she snapped. "You. Me. Battle. Now!"

Mary-Ann laughed scornfully. "Me, battle _you_?" She tossed her long blonde hair in derision.

"Yeah, right here, right now!" Kaida continued. "We'll see who really is the better trainer."

"Well, you have the advantage of course," Mary-Ann said, "seeing as how you took the easy route and took–"

"It's not the easy route!"

"Of _course_."

If Mary-Ann continued with that patronising tone, Kaida really was going to punch her.

At that moment, Nila decided to chip in. "I think you should battle her."

Kaida looked at Nila, who was looking straight at Mary-Ann. Her eye was twitching slightly, which indicated that she was just as irritated as Kaida by Mary-Ann's behaviour.

"Well–" Mary-Ann said.

"I mean, Cyndaquil hasn't even learned any fire moves yet." Nila's lips curled into a smile as she provoked Mary-Ann. "So it really wouldn't be a disadvantage."

Kaida could see what Nila was trying to do, but she still cringed as Mary-Ann was given more ammunition.

"Or," Nila said delicately, "are you still scared?"

"Scared?" Mary-Ann exclaimed. "Of course not!" She looked back at Kaida. "OK then. We _will _battle."

Mary-Ann threw her Pokéball and a very morose looking Chikorita emerged. Still, the grass Pokémon walked forward on command to face Kaida's Cyndaquil, who hopped to the ground and peered curiously from behind Kaida's legs. At a little urging, Cyndaquil stepped up to face his opponent.

"I can't believe your Cyndaquil hasn't learnt a fire attack yet," Mary-Ann said snobbishly. "My Chikorita has learnt lots of new moves already."

Kaida narrowed her eyes. "Let's show her, Cyndaquil."

The little fire Pokémon trotted forwards determinedly. He lifted his head proudly, but had to duck a second later as Mary-Ann ordered Chikorita to fire Razor Leaf. A second volley was close behind.

"Quickly, dodge," Kaida instructed.

Chikorita leapt sideways, avoiding the sharp leaves by millimetres.

"Now, Tackle!" Kaida called.

Mary-Ann swiftly ordered the same attack, and the two Pokémon slammed into each other. They were both bowled backwards, a little bruised but otherwise unharmed. Cyndaquil leapt to his feet immediately, but Chikorita took a little longer to stand up."

"Come on, Cyndaquil, go again."

"You too, Chikorita!"

But then Cyndaquil began to move faster. Kaida frowned. That wasn't a Tackle Attack... It was Quick Attack! Cyndaquil _had_ learnt a new move, and she could use it to her advantage, since Cyndaquil was already a fair bit quicker than Chikorita and, judging by how quickly he had got back up compared to Chikorita, he had to have a quicker recovery time too.

"You can do it, Cyndaquil!" Kaida cheered. "Use that new move! Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil was not almost a blur as he zipped into Chikorita and sent him flying. As soon as Chikorita got to his feet again, Kaida ordered another attack, and Cyndaquil sent Chikorita flying again. This time Chikorita didn't get up. Kaida blinked. She couldn't believe it. She'd won! Well, she had known she was going to beat that stuck up Mary-Ann, but she was just surprised that she had managed it so quickly! It looked like Mary-Ann was all talk about how strong Chikorita had become.

"I..." Mary-Ann blustered. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it," Nila said. She shook her head slowly and continued, "You're an embarrassment to Chikorita trainers everywhere."

Mary-Ann flushed bright red at these words. She turned her glare on Nila, who simply ignored her.

"What Pokémon you pick doesn't matter," John interjected. In his hand he was holding several samples of leaves, and Kaida wondered how much of the battle he had actually watched. "You just have to be a good trainer."

"And clear you aren't!" Kaida couldn't help but taunt her. She added insult to the injury by poking her tongue out.

Mary-Ann returned Chikorita to his Pokéball and then burst into tears. She ran away, crying. This did not surprise Kaida and Nila at all. Mary-Ann had a tendency to hysterical fists when she didn't get her own way.

"Good one," Nila said, smirking.

Yep, Kaida thought, she had obliterated her. Mary-Ann would think twice before saying those sorts of things again... Well, actually, Kaida reconsidered, she probably wouldn't think twice. It was still Mary-Ann. She'd be her usual spiteful self again in a matter of hours. But Kaida – and Cyndaquil – had won and that was all that mattered now.

Nila congratulated Kaida on her win, but John seemed to be bored of battling as he held out the leaves, a look of complete disgust on his face.

"See this!" John said. "It's despicable!"

"I know," Nila said slowly. "Leaves... How _dare_ plants grow them for photosynthesis...?"

John waved the leaves impatiently. "It's not that," he insisted. "These are leaves from berry bushes. They should have loads of berries on them by now! But there are only a few squished into the floor and the rest are gone."

"Someone got peckish?" Kaida suggested.

John sighed wearily at their ignorance. "No! They're mildly poisonous to humans."

"So someone also has really bad indigestion right now?" Kaida joked.

John ignored her. "They're berries for _Pokémon_. They are said to have restorative properties, actually." He scowled. "And someone stripped the whole bush. It's selfish. People should have the decency to only take one or two. Don't they realise they'll stop growing otherwise?"

He muttered several rude things about imbecilic berry stealers. Nila and Kaida tuned out.

"It even mentions it in my guidebook!" John said, completely affronted. "Do people not bother to read these things?"

Nila raised her eyebrows. "John, you didn't even have that until yesterday. You got _given _it."

John muttered something about that not being the point. Sulkily, he added, "Well, it should be compulsory..." Nila's eyebrows were still raised, so he spluttered for a few seconds before blurting, "It's common sense."

Kaida patted him on the back. Berries... John liked the strangest things!

* * *

They continued their walk to Violet City. John occasionally stopped to inspect more bushes – shaking his head crossly when he spotted damage to the wildlife – and Nila and Kaida chatted about all things Pokémon. Kaida kept a close eye on Cyndaquil, who was walking beside her with Chikorita. The poor fire Pokémon looked a little overwhelmed, keeping close to Kaida's leg at all times. Chikorita was bolder: she wandered wherever she pleased.

It was around midday that they stumbled across a peculiar sight. In the middle of the road, grooving from side to side and wiggling its spindly body, was a _Bellsprout_.

Kaida blinked. She opened and closed her eyes but it _was still there_. A Bellsprout. Dancing. Was every third Pokémon she met on drugs or something? First the drunken Totodile, then the kleptomaniac Hoothoot, and then… this. It was _insane_. She glanced at John. Yes, it looked like he did want to catch it for the craziness factor.

Bellsprout raised its leafy arms and spun around, pirouetting, and leaping, its head pointing to the sky. It seemed to be following an extremely precise routine.

Nila raised one eyebrow. "What's wrong with it?"

"I think," John pondered, "that it might possibly be a dancing…"

"A dancing Bellsprout."

"Yes." John nodded.

"A dancing Bellsprout!" Nila scoffed. "Are you crazy? There must be a more logical explanation."

At that moment, a girl came spinning out of a bush to Nila's left. She wore a vivid green tutu, with bright green leggings, topped off with dark brown, fluffy boots. Her top half consisted of a bright yellow tank top and a puffy green body warmer.

"Do you think she's blind," Nila whispered, "or stupid?"

"Colour blind, at least," John suggested.

Then, to everyone's general horror and amusement, she began to dance alongside the Bellsprout, wiggling her hips and waving her arms from side to side.

"Ahem." Nila coughed.

The girl froze. She turned and spotted them. Her eyes widened comically.

"Oh, hi," the girl said, offering a smile.

"Um, hi?" Kaida said, bemused.

"I'm training," the girl told them. "It's for the annual Bellsprout Dance-Off in Violet City."

It was safe to say, from the three blank faces, that nobody had _ever_ heard of that popular feature of the town. After all… Dancing with Bellsprout in a ridiculous outfit? Just... _why_?

"That's… nice." Nila smirked. She tried to hold back snorts of laughter.

Kaida, sensing the awkward laughter threatening to burst from Nila's mouth, asked, "What do you win from this contest?"

The stranger's eyes glazed over in delight. "You win the greatest honour known to man."

"Which is…?"

But the girl gave no answer as she twitched on the spot, squealing in happiness.

"Oi," Kaida yelled, jumping up and down on the spot. "Pay attention… You freaky fashion disaster."

The girl noticed Kaida's jumping and fist waving and her eyes went wide.

"Would you like to dance too?" the girl asked.

"What?" Kaida froze. "Are you freaking kidding me? Are you mental? I have some dignity at least."

Nila snorted. "Of course you do." She then coughed, "David."

Kaida glared over her shoulder and hissed, "I hate you." They had sworn never to speak of that again!

This only made Nila laugh even more, until John slapped her with his frying pan.

"I'm hungry," he stated. "Should we stop for lunch?"

John made a small fire, expertly striking one of the long matches he had in his colossal backpack. He then handed out plates and began to cook some eggs.

"So… what is your name?" Kaida asked, realising they didn't know despite that they were feeding her.

"Flo," the girl told them.

"And, seriously, what is with the outfit?" Kaida continued.

Flo beamed. "It matches Bellsprout. See? Green and yellow! I just got it today and had to test it out. It's the perfect costume."

"So you don't normally dress like that?"

Flo shook her head at Kaida. "No, this is a special occasion outfit."

Nila muttered something about that really being the best for everyone's eyesight.

"Good," Kaida said. "Um, so what do you do at the Dance-Off? Does everyone dance with Bellsprout?"

"Yup," Flo said enthusiastically. "Obviously Violet City has the famous Bellsprout Tower. That means there are lots of events to celebrate Bellsprout there."

"Why are you so far from Violet City?" John asked, passing her more eggs.

"Well I was just wandering around practising…" Flo sighed. "Also my Mum told me that I had to go and find Mr Pokémon. She's quite good friends with him and apparently she asked for a favour and he has something for me. It's meant to be a surprise." Flo's brow furrowed. "I wonder what it is."

"There is a guy called _Mr Pokémon_," Kaida repeated incredulously.

She glanced at Nila, who looked equally flummoxed.

"Yeah, he's been helping Professor Elm with his egg research," Flo informed them. "He's managed to get quite a few specimens for Professor Elm to study. Obviously, we know Pokémon come from eggs, but the Professor and Mr Pokémon want to know more about the conditions in which the eggs will hatch."

Apparently Flo was slightly smarter than Kaida had realised. Then again, Kaida had dumbed her down mentally to about the age of five after seeing the horrendous outfit she was wearing. This had been further lowered to about two when she'd seen the dance and heard about the _Bellsprout Dance-Off_.

"So do you want to come with me?" Flo asked. "It's just east of here a little way. He lives in the middle of nowhere. It's really quite annoying."

John looked at Kaida and Nila, who both shrugged to indicate they didn't mind.

"Meh, why not," John said.

"Oh, good," Flo said happily, "because I'm lost. I think I'm way too far south."

Kaida sighed. Her estimation of Flo's mental age dropped again.

John stood up and stretched his long legs. He looked down at the dirty plates and fire.

"I wish Totodile had some control of his Water Gun. I'll have to teach him," he said decisively.

They found a steam instead, which washed the plates well enough for the time being. Totodile was, however, useful for putting out the fire. It was done very violently, sending chunks of wood flying, and it was instantly understood why John wouldn't let Totodile clean the plates: he would destroy them. After John packed everything away into his peculiar backpack, he told Totodile what they were going to be practising. Totodile, under instruction from his trainer, periodically attempted Water Gun attacks as they walked; this distracted John frequently, causing him to stumble on several occasions. Nila snickered.

As they walked, Flo chattered. She was a bit more normal than her outfit suggested, but still fairly crazy. Kaida had a lot of experience with crazy people – her whole family were bonkers – so she managed to keep up with Flo's speedy jabbering.

It didn't take long for them to stumble across a house. It was a small, white stone cottage and boasted an impressive garden, with trees, bushes, and flowers bursting out of the constraints of a small picket fence. They had to shuffle very carefully along the path so they didn't damage any of the plants; also, some of the plants were quite prickly and might damage them, so those were best avoided. They managed to reach the front door with no real damage and Flo knocked eagerly.

It took a few seconds before the door swung open and they were faced with a rotund middle-aged man, who peered down at them curiously. "Hello?"

"Are you Mr Pokémon?" Flo asked.

"No," the man replied. "He's much farther north than here."

Flo's shoulders slumped.

The man peered at her curiously. "I think I know you. Are you the daughter of Mrs Bell? Florence or something."

"Yeah, I'm Flo," Flo said, perking up. "How do you know my mother?"

The man blushed and muttered something about book club. "I'm Kevin Gardener. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea? I've actually got something of hers that I need to return."

Flo nodded and ducked under his arm, entering the house before anyone else could protest. A little warily, the others followed her. They entered a cluttered room filled with rows of plant pots. John's eyes widened at the sight of them.

"Is that a Babiri plant?" he gushed, dashing over to it so he could inspect the leaves. His eyes fell onto the plant next to it. "Surely it can't be a Tanga plant?"

"You know your berries," the man said, impressed. "Tea?"

"Yes, please!" John spotted yet another plant and ran over to it. "Yache berries!"

Kevin looked at the girls expectantly.

"Tea, please," Flo chirped.

"I'll have water," Nila said. Her eyes were scanning over the plant pots and the small piles of dirt on the beige carpet. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"And you?" the man asked Kaida.

Kaida gestured at Nila. "Same. Thanks."

"Two teas, two waters," the man said, bustling off into the kitchen. From what Kaida could see, the kitchen was filled with as many plants as the living room. "Sit down, sit down," he called out to them. "Make yourself at home!"

Nila eyed the sofas, which had smudges of dirt on them, and stayed resolutely standing. Kaida perched on the edge of one, placing Cyndaquil on her lap, while Flo flopped down in the middle. John was too immersed in the plants to be paying any attention.

"Coba berries!" He gasped. Kaida thought she might have even seen his eyes begin to water from happiness.

"So, what do all these berries even do?"

"I can't remember _all _their properties," John admonished her. A grin appeared on his face. "Well, not yet, anyway." He searched in one of the pockets of his backpack as he continued. "I know the Coba berry is known for being extremely hard. They also can grow to over ten inches!"

"I thought berries were small," Kaida muttered to Nila, who shrugged.

It seemed they had a lot to learn.

"Scientists theorise when the Pokémon came to our world, these sorts of plants came with them," John explained. "So they shouldn't be eaten by humans and they're nothing like our berries."

Kevin emerged from the kitchen with a tray holding two mugs and two glasses. "You believe that science rubbish?" Kevin set the tray down on the coffee table. "It's all a load of codswallop. Other worlds? Pah!"

"There is scientific evidence!" John said, his voice going squeaky with indignation. "Studies have shown energy and properties surrounding Pokémon and items relating to them which does not correspond with–"

"Here's your tea," Kevin interrupted, thrusting the mug into John's hands. "Enjoy. Anyway, I'm not really into that stuff. Makes my head hurt. I just like growing berries. Just me and my Sunflora." He paused. "...And the book club."

"You have a Sunflora?" Flo asked, with wide eyes. "My cousin has a Sunkern!"

"Well, mine evolved quite some time ago," Kevin said proudly. "She helps me in the garden. She's actually out there now. I'm surprised you missed her."

Kaida and Nila exchanged a look. Yes, because locating a Pokémon that resembled a sunflower in an overgrown, extremely dense garden was always easy.

"So, you have a Chikorita and a Cyndaquil," Kevin said. "Any other Pokémon?"

"I have a Totodile and a Hoothoot," John offered, who had recalled Totodile before they entered the house, "but they sometimes can cause a little trouble."

Kaida snorted her water in a rather undignified manner. She couldn't help it: that had to be the understatement of the year.

"Nonsense," Kevin said, waving his large hands about. "What could they do? It's already a bit of a mess in here."

It was Nila's turn to snort her water.

"I want to see them," Kevin demanded. "I love seeing new trainers with their Pokémon."

"Well, if you're sure," John said, tone uncertain.

He grabbed his Pokéballs and released the mischievous duo. Hoothoot materialised on the lampshade, wobbling so much on the perch that the lamp almost fell over, and Totodile appeared on the floor. The blue Pokémon immediately spun around, cackling madly.

"I have a Bellsprout," Flo said happily. She released the skinny Pokémon.

"Ah, a Bellsprout!" Kevin knelt before Flo's Pokémon. "He's a perfect specimen! I used to have a Bellsprout!" He seemed to go into a daze, remembering those good old days. "I actually entered a few of the Bellsprout events in Violet City!"

"I'm going to as well!" Flo squealed, clapping her hands together. "The Bellsprout Dance-Off, in fact."

"My sister was obsessed with that," Kevin told her. "She's one of the judges now. I hope you do well."

Flo beamed at him.

Kevin stood back up. "Your Pokémon do look like they could do with some berries. I have a lot. As well as foreign berries, like these, I have Johto berries too..." He wandered off into the kitchen. "They were so unimaginatively named," he lamented. "I mean, these are just called Johto Berries." He crouched before Cyndaquil and offered the Berry. "It restores health."

Cyndaquil nibbled on the Berry. He seemed to enjoy it. Kevin spun around on his knees and held some out for Chikorita, who took a few tentatively. When Totodile was offered, he was far more eager, taking a large amount and chomping them messily. Bright juice fell on the carpet. It was definitely going to leave a stain. John's eyes widened with horror.

"No worries, my boy," Kevin said, standing up and patting John on the shoulder. "I don't mind a grubby carpet."

Kaida saw Nila's eye twitch.

"Have more, have more," Kevin cried, offering the berries to all of the Pokémon, who kept eating them. They were going to get stuffed _very _quickly.

Hoothoot, formerly on the lamp, had been forgotten, and took the opportunity to glide above their heads to examine some of the plants. She pecked at a red berry and recoiled in disgust. It was far too dry. Hopping along the window sill, Hoothoot found a promising looking berry that grew in clumps of four, each being a blue-turquoise colour with small yellow protrusion. She gobbled one down. They were delicious! She moved onto the next clump, and the next, and the next... Until the whole bush was bare. Yum. Were there any other sour treats around? Hoothoot flapped away to investigate.

"Some berries are extraordinarily strong," Kevin told John. He had given up speaking to them all, since none of the girls seemed like they had the faintest interest. "Take my Custap berry." He went over to the plant that Hoothoot had rejected. "They're extremely dry. And my Rowap berry... Hey, wait... MY BERRIES!"

They all jumped at his shriek.

"My Rowap berries! I just had this plant imported! Where did the berries go?" Kevin swung his head around and his eyes fell on the culprit, who was now devouring Apicot berries hungrily. "That Hoothoot!"

"Hoothoot, no!" John cried.

"My Rowap berries!" Kevin wailed. He seized an empty plant pot and threw it across the room. He missed quite spectacularly and it smashed into another pot, which toppled over and crashed to the door. "No! My Micle plant!" His face was bright red with rage and sorrow, and he reached behind him for another empty pot.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Kaida said, cradling Cyndaquil against her chest to protect him from harm.

"Yep," Flo squeaked, returning Bellsprout to its Pokéball.

John returned both Totodile and Hoothoot as Nila ran out the door with Chikorita, the other girls close behind her.

"I'm _so _sorry," john said. He didn't think it would be the appropriate time to mention that he had warned the man his Pokémon were trouble. "Really, I am..." He backed away as the man raised another plant pot. "Heh. That's not necessary. I'm going."

"My Rowap plant!" the man wailed. He dropped the plant pot on the floor, where it smashed near his feet, and exploded into tears. He ran towards the plant and cradled the pot, stroking the bare leaves.

John also thought it wasn't the appropriate time to mention that Rowap leaves could give humans a very nasty rash... Instead, he darted out of the house, closing the door behind him. Nila and Kaida were out of the garden, but Flo had stopped to coo at Sunflora, who was using Sunny Day to help some small stubby plants grow. John grabbed her arm and pulled her out of there, ignoring her yelps of protest.

"Well," he said, breathing hard, when they stopped a sufficient distance away from the house. "I'm not sure how that could have gone worse."

"He could have been a creepy child killer," Nila commented, not so helpfully.

Kaida stifled a laugh, but John glared.

"Hoothoot is in so much trouble," he muttered. "Why do I have disobedient Pokémon?"

Kaida and Nila kept their mouths shut, unable to think of an answer that wouldn't make him glare at them even more. Flo, blissfully oblivious, had no such issue.

"You're a bad trainer?"

John whirled on her.

"It's OK," Flo said, standing on her tip toes so she could pat him consoling on the head. She "You'll get better." She sank back down, satisfied. She had scarcely been able to reach.

John had no words for this. He huffed and stalked off. Several metres ahead, he looked back and beckoned, with only a hint of exasperation, "Come on then. Let's find Mr Pokémon."

Many things could be said about John, Kaida thought, but he certainly didn't stay angry for long. Maybe it was a boy thing. Or, on reflection, after remembering Connor and Charlie's reaction to the fluorescent pink hair dye, perhaps it was just a John thing.

* * *

"Argh!" Flo snapped. Then, in a smaller voice, she cried, "Help?"

Kaida sighed. It was the third time Flo had got caught in a Spinarak web. She didn't know why Flo just couldn't keep to the centre of the path, like everybody else, who had _not_ been caught in the webs. As John went to help Flo out – again – Kaida wandered towards a small pond. It didn't look very deep and she took a stick from the ground to gently shift the lily pads. She was enormously shocked when, as she swirled them from side to side, something erupted from the water. She fell backwards as the small, round Pokémon leapt out of the pond onto the bank. It was a Poliwag. Cute. Kaida normally didn't like water Pokémon, but she could make an exception for this one. It was round and squishy and sweet! Plus, it was more amphibian than fish!

"Cyndaquil!"

The fire Pokémon was already in front of her, ready to defend her from the wild Pokémon. She was about to order it to attack when Poliwag swelled up and let a stream of bubbles explode from its mouth. The bubbles smashed into Cyndaquil, making him squeak in shock. Poliwag waved its tail impudently and jumped back into the pond. Kaida gaped.

"OK, she's out," John called. "Let's go."

Kaida got back to her feet and looked around. It didn't seem like anyone had seen her slightly embarrassing attempt to catch another Pokémon... At least, she thought nobody had until she saw the smirk on Nila's lips.

"Oh, shut up," she said.

Nila snickered.

They ended up having to scramble through some trees, a hedge, and some quite thick, prickly bushes. Fortunately, John had a tool in his bag that looked to be half scissors and half shear. That cut back most of the trickier brambles and they managed to scramble through.

"Why did we come this way?" Nila asked.

Kaida could see Nila developing a twitch in her eye again. She looked extremely irritated. It probably had something to do with the leaves she was struggling to comb out of her hair.

"It's fine," Flo said, waving a hand. She grabbed Nila's arm and began to tug her along. Regardless of the fact that she had managed to wander ridiculously far south and miss the place, Flo claimed, "It's just five more minutes in this direction."

She continued to drag Nila.

"Kaida," Nila snapped, staring at the offending hand. "She's _touching _me."

Nila had some rather extreme concepts and limits regarding personal space, and she only allowed a select few to touch her – including Kaida who was allowed brief contact – and this was only when she was feeling generous. Kaida knew that as soon as Flo let go, Nila would reach into her bag for her portable cleaning kit to sterilise where Flo had grabbed her. Either that, or Nila would reach for a knife and chop off the offending girl's arm. Kaida sighed. She really didn't understand Nila. She could put up with walking through the country – though she wasn't fond of it – and she was willing to get dirty as long as she could clean up afterwards. It seemed to be people that she disliked the most. No, she didn't like people germs _at all_.

Kaida decided it would be best to save Nila. She grabbed Flo's other arm and tugged her away. Flo let go of Nila's arm. Nila breathed a loud sigh of relief. Then she reached into her bag. Kaida tried not to laugh.

Mr Pokémon's house was not particularly impressive. It was small and a little run down and there were strange bits of metal lying outside that looked like discarded parts of machines. Flo seemed unperturbed and scurried up to knock on the door. After hammering a few times, with no response, Flo tried the door handle and, to her surprise, the door swung open.

"Hello?" Flo called.

Inside was dark and thick heavy curtains blocked all light from the windows. Flo fumbled around the wall for a light switch. When it turned on, and light flooded the room, she stepped backwards and gasped.

"What…?"

Kaida, Nila, and John peered around the door and all blinked in surprise. The place was trashed. Tables and chairs were over turned, a computer screen was smashed, and a small, steel machine next to it had wires hanging loose and some red and blue lights were flashing. A plant pot was smashed and bookshelves were over turned, with magazines splayed all over the floor, alongside assorted coins that had spilled from torn boxes.

"What happened here…?" John muttered. He stepped inside and stood behind Flo, his eyes examining the scene.

"Mr Pokémon!" Flo called. "Are you here?" She looked back at them. "He could be here, hurt."

She hurried off into the other parts of the house, looking for any trace of the man.

Totodile hopped across the room, usually silent, and began to pick up some of the coins. He hopped back to John and handed some over.

"They'll all foreign," John said, peering at them. He looked up. "Looks like he had quite a big collection."

Cyndaquil snuffled its nose into some magazines. He found nothing of interest and returned to Kaida's side, sitting half-on her left foot. At the same time, Nila went over to examine the flashing machine. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. She decided it was best not to touch it, in case she made it explode or something.

Flo reappeared looking worried.

"He's not here. I checked all of the rooms. I think we should call the police." She frowned. "I don't have a phone." She patted down her outfit. "There are no pockets in this thing."

John handed her his. She started to make the call. A moment later and she was connected to the police and was explaining the situation. While Flo did this, John examined a few of the machines.

"These seem to scan Pokémon eggs," he told them.

"How do you know that?" Kaida asked. They just looked like hunks of complicated metal to her.

John reached down and pulled a pamphlet from the floor. "It says so on the instruction manual." He peered at them. "They're turned on but the eggs are gone... That makes no sense. Someone must have taken the eggs."

He flipped through the pamphlet to make sure his estimation of the technology was correct.

"Yeah, I'll wait here," Flo said into the phone before she hung up.

"Let's wait outside," Kaida suggested.

John tore himself away from the machinery reluctantly. They didn't want to disrupt the crime scene anymore than it already had. Also, the ransacked house was a little bit creepy. They went outside in to the sunshine and sat down on a few rocks in front of the house. Nila's Chikorita stretched out and began to sunbathe.

"Hey!" Flo said suddenly. "Here are some footsteps."

John walked over and saw the faint imprints of fairly large feet in the ground. It was likely an adult male. But was this Mr Pokémon or was it his mystery intruder?

"We should go follow them," Flo said. "They're wet and the sun is out. Soon it will dry out all the imprints in the grass, surely? And it will take a while for the police to get here…"

"Someone needs to wait to tell them where we went," John pointed out.

He looked at Nila and Kaida. They shrugged at each other.

Nila looked down at her Chikorita. "Well, seems Chikorita isn't moving for a while. I can stay."

"That thing is such a diva," Kaida muttered.

Kaida glanced back at Chikorita before she started to follow John and Flo with her Cyndaquil trotting behind her. It really was quite unbelievable.

The footprints led off into the woods. John, as it turned out, was an excellent tracker – or so it seemed – as soon they were following a path of broken twigs, bent foliage, and the occasional muddy foot print on the damp ground.

When John was asked how he knew all this, he simply replied, "I like the outdoors."

Soon John was forced to recall his Totodile – it kept trying to dart ahead and he was worried it would ruin the trail – but he sent out Hoothoot instead, ordering it to fly ahead and look out for any sign of other people. Hoothoot flapped its wings and launched off.

They continued to follow the trail for a while further before Hoothoot returned and flapped its wings in John's face. It then hooted and set off again, wheeling around in a circle when they failed to follow.

"It's a different direction from the trail," John said hesitantly.

"I can follow Hoothoot," Kaida said. "You and Flo follow the trail."

"Take her to whatever it is," John instructed," and obey what she says. Bring her back to me when she's done and asks."

Hoothoot flew off quickly and Kaida had to run to keep up. Cyndaquil scampered behind her, though likely it could easily overtake, as they followed John's Pokémon. They passed by trees and undergrowth and Kaida ducked underneath several Spinarak, who hung down from the high branches. It didn't take long before she came across a strange sight. It was a boy dressed in all black, with black jeans and a black long sleeved shirt. What was peculiar, however, was an artfully ripped cape of the same colour. The boy looked up and Kaida saw a pale face and dark brown eyes before he jerked his head away. When he looked up again, he was wearing an iron mask.

Kaida's eyes dropped to the bag by the boy's feet. It was partially open and she caught a glimpse of what was, unmistakably, a Pokémon egg. There could be more in the bag, she thought, and the most logical assumption was that he had stolen them. Why else would he be wearing such a ridiculous outfit? Admittedly, she didn't think the cape would be practical in a robbery, but he had hidden his face with the mask.

"Did you steal those from Mr Pokémon?" she demanded.

"That's none of your concern," he snapped back. "Go away."

Kaida scowled at the rude boy. "No! You can't just take things like that!"

If the mask had been off, Kaida was sure the boy would be wearing an enormous sneer as he said, "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I'm the person who called the police," Kaida shot back. "They'll be here any moment. So don't think you'll get away with this."

The boy tossed his head arrogantly. "Oh, I'll get away with this. I don't have time to deal with you. I'm leaving."

"Oh, no, you're not!" Kaida ran forwards, intent on stopping him. "Give those eggs back! What did you do to Mr Pokémon?"

She grabbed his arm but he easily shrugged her off. He gave an irritated sigh. "He wasn't even home when I came in. I went in and looked for the egg, but I found the wrong one. I was looking for Beldum, not _that_ rubbish Pokémon. Now _leave_ before I crush you"

Kaida paused. "You can tell what's in the egg?"

"That's what the machine did," the boy said slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child. "But then it was taken ages and wouldn't let the egg out. Mr Pokémon came in and tried to fight me so I had to break it. He chased after me, but he wasn't exactly difficult to chase off."

The boy turned to leave, but Kaida grabbed his arm again. He pulled back sharply and she lost her grip.

"Cyndaquil, stop him!"

"'Quil!" The small fire Pokémon leapt forwards.

"You just won't give up," the boy hissed. "Fine. Magnemite, go! Sonic Boom!"

The ripples of air were a giveaway, as the magnet Pokémon fired its assault. Cyndaquil managed to leap out the way, evading attack by an inch.

"Trackle!"

Cyndaquil used a tree stump to launch his attack at the Magnemite, but the attack didn't faze Magnemite at all. Instead, its eye rolled and it powered up another Sonic Boom. This time, Cyndaquil was sent spiralling backwards into a tree. He slid down with a thud, but was soon back on his feet. Tackle hadn't hurt the Magnemite at all. Of course not, because it was part steel type. A fire move would be ideal, but while Chikorita had learnt Razor Leaf and Totodile had managed to use Water Gun, Cyndaquil still hadn't learnt a fire move. He still hadn't lit up the fire on his back.

The boy started to laugh. "Tackle? What an amateur. I'd at least expect a fire move. Or..." He leant forwards, snorting in amusement. "It hasn't learnt one, has it?"

"Shut up," Kaida spat. "Come on, Cyndaquil, at least light up your back!"

Cyndaquil screwed up his face in intense concentration, which was interrupted when Magnemite caught him with another Sonic Boom. Cyndaquil slammed into the ground and Kaida's heart caught in her throat. Was Cyndaquil all right? She rushed forwards as Cyndaquil shakily stood, plodding forwards towards Magnemite. His face was in deep concentration...

"'Quil!"

Fire burst from Cyndaquil's back and Kaida drew back in shock. It didn't take too long for the surprise to be replaced with triumph.

"Way to go, Cyndaquil!" she praised. "Now Tackle that thing and hit it with your flames!"

Magnemite was ready for this, so when Cyndaquil launched itself, it evaded easily.

"Thundershock!" the boy ordered.

Electricity sparked and shrivelled the leaves to crisps. Cyndaquil had been standing there a mere second previously, but had thrown himself out of the way at the last second. The boy ordered the attack again, and this time Cyndaquil wasn't quick enough. Electricity coursed through his body and he hit the ground with a thump. He struggled up again, wavering, and opened his mouth...

Sparks of fire flew from his mouth, speeding towards Magnemite.

Ember!

Magnemite recoiled, spinning furiously as it tried to shake off the fire move.

It was then that Kaida and the boy both heard the voices coming through the woods. Yes, Kaida thought, the police were finally arriving... At the very least, it would be John, who could provide back up and help stop the boy from escaping. She estimated John was only a little smaller than the boy that Kaida was facing: perhaps John could take him.

"I don't have time for this, newbie," the boy snarled. He looked to his steel Pokémon and said, harshly, "Magnemite, blast them both with Sonic Boom. Now!"

Magnemite spun around and blasted a bigger Sonic Boom that it had managed before. Both Kaida and Cyndaquil were thrown off their feet. By the time they had recovered, they looked up to see that the boy was gone. The eggs were still with him. Kaida sighed in disappointment and defeat.

"Kaida!" a startled voice said. It was John. "Are you OK?"

He offered her a hand and, when she grasped it, he pulled her to her feet. Kaida looked around to see a police officer – in a smart blue uniform only slightly ruined by a thin coat of mud on the bottom of the trousers – stood by Flo, Nila, and a strange, goofy looking man. The odd man had to be Mr Pokémon.

"We found Mr Pokémon walking around in circles. He was a bit lost," John said, patting Hoothoot, who rested on his shoulders, looking smug again. "Hoothoot came and got us."

Oh, Kaida thought, mentally revising her opinion of John's bird. Well, she revised it slightly anyway; apparently it wasn't _all _bad. At times, it could be a little useful... But this was all she would allow it.

"He looked _stupid_," was all Kaida could bring herself to say.

She told the police officer everything she knew as they headed back to Mr Pokémon's house.

"Yes, that is what happened," Mr Pokémon agreed, confirming the story. "He ranted something about how he had heard I had a Beldum and he needed four of them for his Metagross. He was searching through my eggs and checking them on the machine. I only had one though, to test my machine, from an associate in Hoenn." He sighed and wrung his hands together. "And now my machine is ruined. He also took three other eggs, but I don't know what they were yet. I suppose I can start again... But if I ever see that boy again, I'll make him pay..."

The police officer looked a little uncomfortable with Mr Pokémon's threats about revenge, but he didn't say anything.

"Me too," Kaida said. She had a sore bum from being knocked over. Plus, he had hurt Cyndaquil.

They had to wait around for Mr Pokémon to catalogue his Pokémon eggs. Even without his machines, he knew them all off by heart due to their markings and, when this failed him, he'd written a code in marker pen on the bottoms of all his eggs.

"So that means he took a Beldum and three Cyndaquil, probably by accident," Mr Pokémon mused.

Kaida's eyes turned flinty. That good-for-nothing fool in a mask had stolen _Cyndaquil_! Forget Mr Pokémon's vengeance; she was definitely going to make him pay.

"I breed them with Professor Elm," Mr Pokémon added, unnecessarily. "He's going to be a little upset, but I have a year to breed more. There's plenty of time..."

The police officer had finished with his notes. He took their home numbers, in case he needed to contact any of them for further questioning, and then said they could leave him with Mr Pokémon. They had a few more things to sort out.

"That reminds me," Mr Pokémon said to Flo. "I still have your egg... Hang on, let me get it..."

"I'm getting an egg?" Flo gasped.

Kaida and Nila both raised their eyebrows. After all the fuss and the dozens of eggs that Mr Pokémon had, what else did she think she was getting as a 'surprise' from her mother? They watched as Mr Pokémon handed her a white spotted egg. Flo stared at it in amazement.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's a surprise!" he said briskly. "Don't want to ruin it, do you? But it is something you'll find cute. Your mother did request that, seeing as you love cute Pokémon."

Nila slunk up to Kaida's side and whispered in her ear. "If she loves cute Pokémon so much, then why in Johto does she have a Bellsprout?"

Kaida tried not to laugh. She was in complete agreement with her friend.

"Cool!" Flo said, hugging the egg to her chest. She beamed happily until a thought struck her. "What do I _do _with an egg though?"

"You just take it with you and give it love. That seems to do it."

"I will do that," Flo promised solemnly. She hugged the egg tighter.

Kaida nudged Nila. "If she holds that any tighter then it's gonna crack..."

Nila sniggered. Flo's face would have been very amusing if that had happened. Fortunately, Pokémon eggs were notoriously hard-shelled and very difficult to break.

They left Mr Pokémon and accepted Flo's offer to take them to Violet City. She said she knew a quick way that didn't involve brambles – they were all slightly sceptical about her sense of direction though – and she could get them there by nightfall. A lot of the day had been wasted, so they were eager to get to Violet before it got dark and they were forced to stop.

Flo wasn't exactly right. In fact, it was to no one's surprise that she was far from right. Violet City was a lot further away from Cherrygrove than Cherrygrove was from New Bark, so John did muse aloud that they were naïve to think it would only take one day's travel to get there. They settled down and set up camp while Flo used John's phone to call her mother, who yelled at her for being an idiot and getting lost. Flo insisted that it wasn't her fault, so they argument went on for a while. John muttered furiously about wasting his phone credit and battery; as a consequence, Kaida decided to kick Flo in the shins until she hung up.

"Ow," Flo protested, after she handed the phone back to John. She rubbed her shins and pouted. "Well, Mum says you can stay over when we get there. No need for accommodation from the Pokémon Centre."

This was the norm for people touring the regions for gym challenges. The Pokémon Centres provided small rooms and showers and people camped between towns. Flo's house would probably be a lot nicer, but they accepted warily because Flo's mother had sounded scary. Also, they all had a sinking feeling that Flo's house would be just as crazy as she was: they all hoped fervently that it wasn't _too _much like her appalling fashion sense or stuffed to the brim with Bellsprout.


	7. Day 4

**A/N **- Please, read and review. :)

* * *

(DAY FOUR)

It was a gloomy day. Kaida peered up at the clouds with some dismay, hoping that it wouldn't rain. Luckily, if it rain, she was prepared. There had been a light drizzle when they awoke but it had gone, leaving behind a mist that curled over the landscape all around them. John poured over his guidebook, trying to shield it from the damp with his raincoat, telling them they had left Route 30 and were now on Route 31. While Violet was to the west, he pointed out Dark Cave to the east.

"Obviously we shouldn't go all the way through it," he said, "but we can take a brief detour to check it out. There is supposedly quite a few rare Pokémon in there."

"Caves...?" Flo squeaked. "But it'll be all dark... It's called Dark Cave for a reason. You need a Pokémon that knows flash because torches don't cut it. "

"Mine will," John said confidently, pulling out two enormous torches from his backpack. "These are extremely powerful. Don't worry. I have a lot of spare batteries."

Flo sighed. She pulled out a hoodie from her backpack and pulled it on. It was dark purple and covered her top half and most of her thighs completely. All that could be seen from her ridiculous costume were her green leggings and boots.

Nila snorted. "You look like a plum."

"What...? Hey!" Flo tugged her hoodie defensively. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," Nila said, shaking her head. Then, in a quiet voice, she coughed, "Plum."

Kaida elbowed Nila in the side. To John, she said, "I don't know. We'll still be able to get to Violet today, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." John dismissed her concerns, but it was obvious he wasn't bothered about that, considering he went onto say, "Imagine what freaky Pokémon will be in that cave!"

Kaida and Nila looked at him oddly. John and his weird Pokémon... They looked over to Totodile, who was hopping from one foot to the other as it tried to only step on the thicker grass.

"I don't think we should go," Flo piped up. "Caves..." She shuddered. "They're all dark and slimy..."

"You don't have to come," Kaida pointed out. "You could just go home. You have your egg."

As reluctant as Flo was to set a foot in the cave, she seemed even more unwilling to leave them. Kaida wondered if she had many friends. She could see why Flo's outfits might be a little off putting.

They were on their way to the cave when, through the haze, Kaida spotted a burning light. She narrowed her eyes and tracked the glow. Then, from the bushes, burst a pale Pokémon with a flaming mane and tail. Ponytail. Kaida's eyes widened to saucers. The Ponyta stared at them for a moment; after that, it flicked its tail and dashed off.

"Noo!" Kaida cried.

She started to run after it. She followed it through the bushes, snagging her jumper on a bramble, and when she pulled free, she saw Ponyta slowing to a halt ahead. Then, to Kaida's immense disappointment, a tall girl walked up to the Ponyta and patted it on the nose. The Ponyta nuzzled her hand. It looked like this was Ponyta's trainer.

"Hi," the girl said. She had a pleasant face and very straight hair. "I'm Gwen. Who are you?"

"I'm Kaida," Kaida replied. "Your Ponyta is gorgeous."

"Thanks," the girl beamed. "I know." She petted the Ponyta again and then looked back to Kaida. "I brush it every day." She paused, touching her light brown hair absentmindedly. "Are you a trainer?"

"Yeah," Kaida said, walking a little closer. "I just started." She hesitated. "Can I pet it?"

"Sure," Gwen said, stepping aside.

Kaida stroked the Ponyta's face. It was wary at first but soon nuzzled into her hand, butting her fingers when she paused in stroking its face. It was adorable. She couldn't wait to get one. Actually, forget just getting the one, Kaida thought dreamily, because she'd have a whole _herd_. It would be _amazing_.

"Where did you get it?" she asked.

"Oh, my Dad lives in Kanto. I got it over there when I was visiting him," Gwen said.

Kaida sighed. It didn't look like she'd be getting any tips as to where to catch them in Johto then. She didn't think she could wait until she visited Kanto to get a Ponyta. At best, that would be a whole year away!

"I love Ponyta," Kaida declared.

"I can see," Gwen said, amused. Her pale eyes twinkled.

"And fire Pokémon."

"Yeah. Your Cyndaquil is cute."

Cyndaquil looked towards the person who had complimented it. He hid bashfully behind Kaida's leg, peeking out shyly. Gwen waved at him and he ducked away again. Cyndaquil was about to sneak another look at the new girl, but then voices sounded behind Kaida and she and Cyndaquil turned to see Nila, John, and Flo walking up. Nila's Chikorita was trying to get away from John's Totodile, which was chasing Chikorita around, attempting rather fruitlessly to get Chikorita to participate in a game of tag. Chikorita didn't seem too thrilled by this prospect.

"Hey, are these your friends?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Kaida said, promptly introducing them. After this, she went back to patting Ponyta on the nose.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Gwen," Gwen said, smiling genuinely.

John smiled, Flo waved, and Nila nodded.

"Anyway, you have to brush them every day if you want them to look glossy," Gwen told Kaida. "It doesn't have to be a full brush though. You can do one of those every few days."

Nila snorted.

Gwen turned on her. "What?"

"Nothing," Nila said, her tone and quickness to respond clearly showing this was a lie.

Kaida narrowed her eyes.

"Do you not take proper care of your Chikorita?" Gwen enquired.

"I take perfectly good care of my Chikorita," Nila said evenly. "She's clean."

"You have to brush Chikorita too," Gwen insisted.

Nila folded her arms across her chest. Hygiene was important to her, but she didn't particularly care for vanity. "She can survive in the wild without pampering."

"Yeah, but it isn't in the wild," Gwen said. "You could survive in the wild, but it wouldn't be very nice."

Nila smirked. It was the special kind of smirk that she got when she'd found someone she considered almost an equal and was sort of interested in them. Kaida became worried. Some people reacted well to the subsequent events. Some did not. Normally it was the latter case and Nila made an enemy.

"There is a line between _nice_ and _spoilt,_" Nila pointed out. "To be honest, your Ponyta just looks like a puffed up mannequin. Only good for posing."

Ponyta snorted and ground its foot into the earth.

Gwen frowned. "I'm going to be a Pokémon Ranger. There is a _lot _more to Ponyta than posing."

"Really," Nila said, her lip curving upwards. "Prove it."

"Gladly," Gwen said, grinning quite deviously back.

Kaida was a little shocked. She hadn't expected this kind of competition from the seemingly sweet girl who had let her pet her Ponyta. Then again, Kaida had been nice to her. Nila had not. Still, Gwen was definitely smart if she could figure out Nila. Perhaps a little competition wouldn't be so bad after all. Although…

"Nila, are you sure this is a good idea?" Kaida hissed. "She has the type advantage and I think she's had that Ponyta a while. It's pretty strong!"

Nila shrugged. "Chikorita could do with the training."

"I think it might get stomped on and smashed to a pulp," Kaida whispered.

"It's an unfortunate learning curve," Nila said flatly.

Kaida blinked, shocked.

Nila made an exasperated sound and rolled her eyes at Kaida. She said, irritably, "I won't let it go that far. I'm not _that _cruel."

"Oh. OK. Sorry." With that, Kaida retreated to the sidelines with John and Flo.

"Bellsprout should definitely watch this," Flo murmured.

She sent her plant Pokémon out of its Pokéball. He appeared in a flash of light and wiggled around in confusion. He was facing in the opposite direction to the upcoming battle.

"Watch this, Bellsprout. They're going to have a battle," Flo narrated. "Chikorita versus Ponyta, which, to be honest, is a little bit crazy of Nila…" Flo coughed. "But, eh, she doesn't really seem all there most of the time."

"Most of the time," Kaida muttered. "All of the time."

Nila and Gwen were setting the rules. One on one. No excessive attacks. Kaida drowned them out after this. She turned back in as they took their positions opposite each other. Gwen looked confident. Nila looked pensive.

"Ponyta is quick," Nila said to Chikorita, "but you're smaller. You can get underfoot. This would be better if you knew Vine Whip to wrap those legs up in, but you don't. You can't afford to get hit by any fire move. So get underneath that thing and confuse the hell out of it. Hit the legs and face with your leaves."

Chikorita nodded determinedly.

"Go, Ponyta! Ember!"

Little fire balls spread towards Chikorita, who leapt backwards swiftly. Then, she dodged to one side and sent a volley of Razor Leaf in Ponyta's direction.

"Burn it," Gwen commanded.

Ponyta blew hot flames towards the leaves. They shrivelled up into wisps of smoke.

"Remember the plan," Nila said.

Chikorita looked at her trainer quickly before dodging another Ember attack. Then she ran forwards and darted behind stones, using the natural habitat to hide from Ponyta's flames. Once Ponyta was close enough, Chikorita leapt underneath it and sent a volley of leaves towards Ponyta's legs. It was enough to make Ponyta stumble as its back legs gave way.

"Ponyta, use stomp!" Gwen commanded.

"Dodge, Chikorita," Nila ordered.

Chikorita dodged the lashing feet and sent another wave of Razor Leaf at Ponyta's front legs. Ponyta's tail lashed out but it could not reach Chikorita.

"Collapse!" Gwen ordered.

Nila looked on with surprise – and a little respect – in her eyes as the Ponyta dropped down to the ground. Chikorita was forced to jump backwards and, in doing so, revealed herself.

"Ember!"

Chikorita's back legs were singed by the attack. She darted behind another rock to hide from another blast. Next, she hid behind some bushes. Ponyta sent another wave of fire at them and they caught alight.

"Chikorita, send the Razor Leaf attacks lowdown. Hit the ankles," Nila ordered.

Chikorita flicked her head and sent further volleys. Some Ponyta managed to burn. Others hit and sliced its legs painfully.

"Impressive," Gwen said. "But that still isn't going to be good enough. Ponyta! Use Fire Spin!"

Kaida thought she heard Nila swear.

Both Chikorita and the bush were swept into a vortex of flame.

"Try to create wind with your leaves!" Nila shouted. "Disperse it!"

Chikorita was trying but she wasn't powerful enough. She fought through the vortex but emerged burnt and charred and severely weakened.

There was a tiny frown on Nila's face.

"Keep trying, Chikorita," Nila said. "Remember, dodge!"

Chikorita was looking a little shaky now. Still, she managed to dodge several more flame attacks. She even managed to send a few more volleys to Ponyta's feet, even bringing its legs down again.

"Fire Spin!"

"The rock!"

The Chikorita managed to shield herself from the worst of the attack but was still being burnt. She cried out. When the fire dissipated, Nila stepped forwards.

"That's enough," she said.

Gwen nodded in agreement. She rushed forwards to check her Ponyta's injuries. Kaida noticed it limped towards her. Chikorita had done a lot of damage to its legs. Once Gwen had finished checking Ponyta over she turned it to its Pokéball and then said, to Nila, "I win then."

"This time," Nila said. "Next time I'll have more Pokémon. I won't lose again."

"We'll see," Gwen said. She turned and smiled at the others. "Well, I have to go. My mentor is waiting. Ranger duties and all. Maybe I'll see you all around!" She paused, tilting her head to one side. Her long fringe flopped into her eyes. "Oh, wait, the fire."

One of the bushes was smouldering gently. A Pokémon Ranger couldn't exactly leave that.

"I've got it," John said, ordering Totodile forwards. "Water Gun!"

"Thanks," Gwen said. "Uh… Bye!"

Nila scooped up her Chikorita as Totodile extinguished the lingering flames. She set Chikorita down and began to rummage through her back. She pulled out a burn heal and salve and began to gently apply it to her Pokémon.

"I need a bit of water," she told Totodile.

When Totodile drew himself back for a blast, John hurried to intercede.

"A dribble, gently," John said. "Control, remember?"

Totodile looked put out. Sending out little spurts of water was apparently not as fun. Still, he obeyed and there was soon a little puddle that Nila could use to cool Chikorita down.

"Most of the wounds are superficial," she noted.

"Are you going to be all right to go to the cave?" John asked. He was disappointed, but he wasn't about to put his urge for exploration over Chikorita's wellbeing. "We can go onto Violet instead."

Chikorita was already struggling to her feet now the burn salve had been applied. Nila eyed her Pokémon cautiously.

"It'll be fine," Nila decided. "As long as Chikorita doesn't over exert... Guess I'll have to rely on you losers for protection." She flashed them a grin.

"Thanks," Kaida said, sighing. Typical Nila.

"And I'll carry Chikorita until then," Nila said.

Chikorita didn't like this plan very much. They continued to make their way to the cave and Kaida marvelled at Chikorita's remarkable powers of recovery. Soon she was struggling and wriggling, and Nila allowed it her walk again, although she insisted that everyone slow down a little. Soon though, Chikorita grew irritated with this and insisted on scrambling ahead until they picked up the pace.

The group trundled on the "short" walk to the cave that John had described. Short was not what Nila would have used to describe it. She had been glaring daggers into John's back for the last half an hour. At least, Kaida thought, the mists had retreated and the clouds in the sky had dissipated to reveal large patches of blue. The sun was no longer veiled.

"OK, we're here," John said proudly. He started to rummage in his bag for the torches.

"And it only took two more hours to get here," Nila commented.

Chikorita had been hurt. Nila had only agreed to continue to the cave because she thought it wasn't that far away. Clearly John had underestimated it significantly. Nila looked to Kaida for agreement but Kaida had already sunk onto a rock looking distinctly tired. Cyndaquil hopped around on the ground beside her, exploring the area but making sure to stay close to Kaida. He had grown fond of her very quickly and had taken it upon himself to protect her from any harm.

Nila looked to her Chikorita who was sunbathing in the only patch of sun in the clearing. She would almost swear Chikorita was shining. The burns were almost completely gone and Nila wasn't convinced that this was because of her burn salve. Perhaps, Nila mused… Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted Totodile, who was dancing around like a maniac nearby, looking under rocks and patches of thick grass as if he expected to find something shiny.

"Is that all you ever do?" Nila muttered.

John pressed one of his large torches into her hand.

"Come on, Miss Grumpy Gills, time to explore," John said, grinning creepily at her.

"Umm... OK?"

Nila grabbed the torch and went over to Kaida who was still flopped on the rock while Flo chased her Cyndaquil, trying to cuddle the very life out of it.

"Come on," Nila said. "The freaky, tall boy says it's time to explore."

"But I don't wanna," Kaida grumbled. She threw her arms over her face in an attempt to shield out reality. Sunbathing on the rock was a lot better than going into dark caves.

"Do you want to tell that to Mr. Creepy Face?" Nila asked. "Because I would rather face whatever hell lies in there than see that smile again." She shuddered at the thought.

"It can't be that bad," Kaida said, standing up and taking the torch that Nila was holding out for her. She continued, "I've known you for like forever and I know you can pull off some seriously crazy faces."

At that moment, a spine-tingling laugh echoed throughout the clearing. Nila turned to see that it was coming directly from John who was fast approaching them.

"Have mercy!" she screamed. "I don't like it! It burns!"

"Burns what?" Kaida asked.

"What doesn't it burn?" Nila retorted.

With that, she ran off into the darkness of the cave with her Chikorita, who trotted behind her, looking bemused. Flo blinked at Nila's unusual outburst and turned to Kaida who had just been joined by John.

"Hey don't look at me," Kaida said defensively. "It's not my fault that my best friend is a lunatic."

John shrugged and began to follow Nila into the cave.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," Kaida called. "It's time to go save Nila from the demon laugh."

"Cynda'," the little creature stated, as he was lifted back on Kaida's shoulder.

As she entered the cave Kaida could see John's light up ahead and turned on her own torch.

"Ouch! That's bright!" she moaned.

Flo came to stand beside her. "I hate caves," Flo said, shuddering. She pulled her arms tighter around herself as her voice faintly echoed from the cave walls.

"Well I can't say they are my favourite spot," Kaida said with a shrug, "but, hey, live with it, or face the frying pan!"

Flo gave her a worried look.

"Ask Hoothoot," Kaida said conspiratorially. "He knows."

She tapped her nose at Flo as she continued walking, leaving a bewildered Flo to catch up. As the pair caught up to the light, they saw that it wasn't John's, but an old fashioned lantern hung on the wall. It illuminated a mossy growth on the wall and Flo recoiled in disgust. She definitely wasn't going to touch anything then.

"Hmm. They couldn't have gone that far ahead," Kaida mused, rounding a corner.

"What if we get lost?" Flo trembled. "I'm scared."

It was dark and everything looked the same. Flo felt that she was perfectly justified in these fears. She started to breathe erratically as she imagined the air growing thicker and closing in around her. Flo knew she might seem it, but she wasn't stupid. She knew about bad air in caves. Her precious oxygen could be mixed with poisonous gasses. She also knew that it couldn't be smelt, or felt, but that didn't stop her mind from conjuring up the oppressive feeling.

Kaida merely shook her head in annoyance. "There's only one path to follow. Now pull yourself together and keep close."

Flo nodded and clung to the strap of Kaida's bag. They rounded another corner to find a big problem.

"Oh, damn it all to Lugia," Kaida growled.

Before them stood three different paths and each looked more ominous then the last.

"We are gonna die!" Flo screeched.

"Shut up," Kaida commanded, "or you are going to wake up the whole cave if you keep that pitch up."

"Wake up? Wake up what?" Flo demanded, panicked. Not only were there poisonous gasses, but now there were evil creatures out to get them? It was all turning into a bad horror film. She gripped Kaida's bag tighter, causing Cyndaquil to sway violently on Kaida's shoulder.

"I dunno," Kaida said noncommittally. "Er, a Snorlax maybe. Maybe a Gligar if we are lucky and maybe..."

"If we are lucky?" Flo repeated. "How would we be lucky to see those?"

Her voice was growing higher in pitch by the second. Pretty soon Kaida was sure that her voice would be beyond the range of human ears. Perhaps it would wake up some Zubat. They could pick up those super high frequencies.

In response to Flo's question, Kaida responded simply, "Because they are awesome Pokémon!" She cleared her throat. "Now, come on, we have to chose a path. All right here we go. Hop, Skip -"

"What are you doing?" Flo asked, confused

"Hop to tuff," Kaida asked condescendingly. "Well," she added, fairly patronisingly, "unless you have a better idea…?"

She glared over the shoulder that wasn't burdened with the weight of Cyndaquil. Flo shook her head and Kaida continued. Pointing to a different path every word, she said, "Hop, Skip, Jum-pluff! Iggly, Jiggly, Wigglytuff!" Her finger landed on the middle path.

"Right then," Kaida decided. "The middle path it is!"

Kaida bounced on through with Cyndaquil still bobbing up and down on her shoulder and Flo clinging on for dear life to her bag. After a few minutes of walking down a tunnel they came out into a more open cave. The damp walls seemed to sparkle in the torchlight.

"Wow. It's so pretty," Flo murmured.

She seemed astounded that there could be beauty in caves. Kaida wondered where she thought precious stones and metals were generally found.

"Indeed," Kaida said, nodding, "but where are Nila and John?"

"Spaaaaa!"

A strange voice echoed around the cave

"Oh. My. Bellsprout. WHAT WAS THAT?" Flo screamed.

"Shush and let me listen." Kaida tried to get closer to what she thought was the source but Flo was pulling her backwards. Finally, she spun, irritated. "Would you just let go? It's probably just a Pokémon!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Flo shouted.

Flo suddenly stopped pulling. "I can't feel any floor behind us," she squeaked.

"Then don't move!"

Kaida brought the torch up to her face and stared out into the cave. She could see a dark lump on the opposite side and pointed her light directly at it. It was a big mistake. A solid mass of many Pokémon leapt up and headed straight for them. Flo started to panic and stumbled backwards. Kaida had no time to realise this though as she was head butted by one of the swarming Pokémon. The torch flew from her hand as she stumbled backward. As Flo had pointed out, there was no ground left, and so Kaida tumbled back into the cold waters of a pool she had not seen on first entrance. It wasn't deep, as her butt soon made contact with the rocky pool bottom. She moved onto her knees and stood up. This was enough to allow her to break the surface of the water, which only came up to mid-chest. As her head cleared the disgusting water, her ears were filled with Flo's screams of being wet.

"You always seem to fall on your arse when I'm not around!" a voice mused from the bank.

Nila stood with Cyndaquil at her feet. He was jumping up and down, looking extremely concerned about his trainer.

"Yeah, yeah. Ha, ha. Kaida's wet! Laugh it up!"

Kaida pulled herself to her feet and waded to the bank. John leant down and offered a hand to help pull her out.

"Laugh it up? Oh, I think I will," Nila said, cackling. "You will never live this down, my friend."

"It's not my fault," Kaida practically howled. "If she hadn't pulled me over there–" she pointed at Flo accusingly as Flo, still moaning, flopped over to the pool's bank "–and if that thing hadn't head butted me–" she pointed to the Pokémon lying sprawled a few feet away "–then I would be perfectly dry at this precise moment!"

"No it cannot be," John murmured, his eyes widening. "It is," he said reverently. "A Dunsparce!"

He yanked Flo out of the pool, sending her flying across the cave, before running to the unconscious creature.

"Jumping Murkrow, it is!" John repeated.

"Then catch it," Nila said, bored. "Why use your Pokémon when you have Kaida and her iron head?"

"Thanks Nila," Kaida growled, wringing out her top.

"What?" Nila asked innocently. Or, at least, this was the most innocent façade that Nila could produce. She continued, "It's true. That is the second Pokémon that you've knocked unconscious for John to catch. I think we should put you in a Pokéball and say you are our ultimate weapon."

Nila sniggered. Kaida glared.

John wandered back over clutching a Pokéball that they guessed that he had caught Dunsparce with.

"Another beauty for my collection." He grinned.

Flo checked on the egg in her backpack. It appeared to be fine. Then she put the bag on the ground and stepped away from it, pulling her soaking hoodie away from her body.

"Urgh. I'm so wet," Flo moaned.

"So am I," Kaida groused. "What we need is a fire!"

Unfortunately, at these words, Kaida's worried Cyndaquil decided that meant she and Flo needed to be warmed up with an Ember attack.

"Ahh Cyndaquil! No! Stop!" Kaida shouted, trying to dodge the flames.

Cyndaquil paused and hung his head as its owner tried to put out the fire in her hair. Fortunately Nila was ready, since Totodile was doubtless dancing behind some more rocks somewhere, and she grabbed Kaida by the neck, shoved down, and dunked her head back into the pool. Kaida spluttered quite violently as she submerged. Then she caught sight of the sorry Cyndaquil.

"Oh, Cyndaquil, I'm sorry!" Kaida cried. "I didn't mean to shout! I know you were just trying to help."

She scooped him up and held him reassuringly.

"Do you think that Kaida's realised that her bum is on fire?" Nila asked John, while Flo jumped on her hoodie to put out the flames.

Nila watched Flo's progress. If the hoodie was destroyed did that mean that she had to stop calling Flo the 'Plum' nickname? Nah. Of course not.

"Um," John said, "I think maybe I'll give Kaida a wake-up call." He called out, "Totodile."

The water reptile popped up, scurrying to his trainer's side.

"Water Gun!"

* * *

Due to the fiasco in the caves, a sopping wet Flo had called her mother, Vera, and asked her to pick them up. Flo's mother was _not _impressed, but drove out to meet them anyway, scowling at her daughter as she herded them all into the car. The backseats were covered in blankets, to soak up the water, and Flo's mother's glare promised pain to anyone who made a mess. John wisely recalled Totodile to his Pokéball. Luckily, despite Vera's annoyance, she did agree that they could stay at their house, although she said it would be a bit cramped. She became nicer as they got closer to Violet City and her irritation dissipated.

While New Bark Town and Cherrygrove were filled with pale buildings with bricks from the rocks of the area, the majority of the buildings in Violet City were made from wood. Instead of the cheerfully coloured roofs of the houses back home, Violet City buildings had sturdy brown logs all over – brought in from the forests surrounding it – except for their roofs, which were predominantly made from purple tiles. It was a fairly large place and quite spread out. This was because most of the buildings were low, with only a few floors. The only exception in height was the looming Sprout Tower, which dominated the area. The Pokémon Centre and the Pokémon Mart were also exceptions because they weren't made from wood, but their usually bright colours were muted so they remained in keeping with their surroundings.

It was nice though, Kaida reflected, and sort of homey, even with its vast size. She wasn't so keen on Flo's house though. It was filled to the ceilings with mismatching clutter and it was difficult to move anywhere without knocking something over. She vastly preferred John's house, but it looked like they would be staying at Flo's for a while. They dumped their bags there, thanked Vera again, and then Kaida and Nila went to sign up for a battle against the gym leader of Violet City, Falkner.

Outside the gym there was a small crowd. Kaida and Nila joined the back of the queue and slowly inched forwards towards the prize: sign-up sheets to battle Falkner. In the first few weeks of the gym leader summer tournament, there was an onslaught of challenges. The numbers would dwindle as the eight weeks went on: people would drop out, give up, or get stuck on a gym. The gym leaders only accepted rematches when they had the time, which meant the first few weeks were not a good time to lose. The next opening slots were on Saturday, so Kaida signed herself up immediately for a morning slot, leaving an afternoon one for Nila.

"Although," Nila commented, "I'm going to need another Pokémon. He'll crush Chikorita."

Chikorita glared.

"You're a grass type," Nila told her Pokémon bluntly. "He has a flying type. So unless you learn a rock move or something..." A thought seemed to have entered Nila's head. She started to tap away at her Pokédex. "Yes," she mumbled. "That could work..."

Kaida didn't ask. She didn't doubt that Nila's plans would eventually be revealed. Besides, Nila was clearly off in her own world, so she probably wouldn't even register Kaida talking to her.

They went back to Flo's, which wasn't far from the gym, and found John in the front garden, attempting to train his Dunsparce. So far, he said, he had figured out that Dunsparce knew Defence Curl but, frankly, not a lot else. If it did know other moves then it wasn't telling.

"Right," Kaida said, raising her eyebrows as John released Hoothoot and attempted to coax Dunsparce into defending itself. "Well, is there anything to do around Violet City?"

Flo piped up. "There's the Sprout Tower Challenge. You can battle the sages there. If you win they'll teach your Pokémon a special technique."

Kaida glanced over at Nila. It sounded interesting. Well, more interesting than sitting around doing nothing. They'd have to check it out. They looked over at John to see if he wanted to go, but John was now getting Hoothoot to peck Dunsparce. Dunsparce didn't move an inch but, as they watched, it seemed like he was growing more and more irritated by the second. His eyes scrunched up until finally, he performed the move Glare, striking Hoothoot down midair, successfully paralysed.

"See you later, John," Kaida called from the garden gate.

"Yeah, will do," John said absently.

In the garden, the bird Pokémon struggled up stiffly, but her legs gave way and she fell down again. John rummaged in his bag for a Parlyz Heal and applied it to his Hoothoot. Hoothoot, able to move again, swooped upon Dunsparce and pecked him furiously in retaliation. Dunsparce yawned. Hoothoot blinked, but continued her assault. However, a minute later, she was slumped on the floor, asleep.

John cheered. "Well done, Dunsparce! I knew you could do it!"

Dunsparce sat still, disinclined to move. John suddenly felt quite drowsy himself. Maybe he needed to sit down... He settled on the grass. In fact, maybe he needed to lie down and, maybe, just maybe, he needed to close his eyes... Just for a second...

When John woke up again, it was to Hoothoot headbutting him. John looked around, confused. He didn't think that much time had passed. He looked down at Dunsparce, who was in exactly the same position as before. Now that was just creepy. He returned Dunsparce to his Pokéball. Why was he doing this? It had flown at Kaida with surprising vigour in the cave. Now it didn't want to move at all. Perhaps he could tempt it with food... And, with the thought of food, John realised he was quite peckish himself. Maybe he should have a midmorning snack. He'd seen some shiny red apples in a bowl in Flo's kitchen! He'd deal with Dunsparce later...

Sprout Tower was separated from the rest of Violet City by a large lake. In order to get to it, Kaida, Nila, and Flo crossed two purple-wood, wide bridges with a small island stopping point in between. Once they reached the landmark, Kaida and Nila craned their necks trying to look at the top of the tower from entrance. Inside, they could see the great, swaying beam in the centre. Nila eyed it rather anxiously.

"That does not look sturdy," she fretted.

Kaida noticed that Cyndaquil was looking at it, also a little concerned. She patted him on the head to reassure him.

"It's fine," Flo insisted. "Anyway, all you need to do is go in and start challenging them... I think. Just make your way to the top and battle the leader." She paused in contemplation. "I'm sure that's what you do."

Flo's uncertainty wasn't very encouraging. Kaida and Nila had little time to dwell on it, however, as a thin girl with orange pigtails emerged from the building, and after catching sight of Flo, she flounced over to them.

"Flo," the girl said, sneering. "Ready for the Dance-Off?"

"Oh, I'm ready," Flo said, narrowing her eyes.

The girl glared and leant forwards into Flo's personal space. "Well, you should just forget it, because I'm _readier_."

"I was ready before you," Flo snapped.

"Well, I was _born_ ready," the girl retorted.

Kaida and Nila watched the interaction with disbelief.

"Are they trying to trash talk each other?" Nila hissed in Kaida's ear.

Kaida nodded warily, her eyes flickering between the two younger girls. "Uh, I think so..."

"Well," Flo blustered, her hands on her hips, "that means I was ready in the womb!"

The girl with the orange hair was quick to reply. "I was ready from the point of conception." She then tossed in, "Loser."

Flo gasped. "Don't call me a loser, loser," she exclaimed.

Nila and Kaida began to slide away. The display was beyond cringe worthy. They'd take their chances in the Sprout Tower instead, even with the precarious centre beam and the battling sages. They entered the tower, taking in the all-wooden exterior and the wide windows that allowed in streaming sunlight, highlighting the dust particles in the air. They saw the first of the sages by the stairs, against the far wall, and he waited until they crossed over to him before he greeted them.

"Do you wish to challenge the sages of Sprout Tower?" the man asked.

"Yep," Kaida said. When the man didn't say anything else, she asked, "So, what do we have to do?"

"Get up to the top of the tower," was the simple reply.

Kaida and Nila climbed up the wooden stairs to the next level. The next floor looked exactly the same: there was the beam in the middle and wood everywhere else, from the floors to the walls to the ceilings. There were also two sages meditating on either side of the beam. They were dressed in long, layered robes and sandals. Their heads were closely shaven. Kaida took another two steps forwards and one of the men opened his eyes.

"Challengers, I presume," he said joyously. "Are you ready to battle?"

Cyndaquil hopped off Kaida's shoulder onto the floor. Beside Kaida, Chikorita stepped in front of Nila.

"Good," the second man said as he stood up. "I am Sage Chow and this is Sage Nico."

"I'm Kaida," said Kaida. "Who do I fight?"

Sage Nico gestured to her from the other side of the beam. Kaida walked over and faced him. At the same time, Nila faced Sage Chow near the stairs. Both men, in perfect unison, brought a Pokéball out and released a Bellsprout. Well, Kaida thought, it was Sprout Tower.

"And, we begin!" Nico said, inclining his head. He waited until Kaida gave an awkward nod back before snapping to attention, his back ramrod straight. "Use Vine Whip!"

"Cyndaquil," she called. "Use Ember!"

Cyndaquil's flame ignited and he sent the sparks of fire flying at a shock Bellsprout, who was scorched badly. It stopped in its tracks, and the vines retreated, as it tried to recover. Kaida wondered whether she should wait, but Bellsprout shook the attack off quickly, lashing out with its vines and catching Cyndaquil by surprise. The tiny fire Pokémon squeaked as he was flipped onto its back, the fire going out.

"Get up and use Ember again," Kaida instructed.

Cyndaquil rolled over and the fire started up again. He was a little slow, however, and the Bellsprout slapped him in the face with a vine. Kaida winced as Cyndaquil yelped in dismay.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," she encouraged. "You're quick! Use Ember!"

He _was_ quick. Kaida had participated in mini battles with both Nila and John and Cyndaquil was a lot faster than Chikorita and a little faster than the hyperactive Totodile. Unfortunately, Cyndaquil seemed a little nervous about the battle and kept hesitating.

"You can do it!" she cried.

This seemed to reinforce Cyndaquil. The fire on his back lit and a determined concentration could be seen on his face. He leapt over the vines from the next Vine Whip, moving to the left, and he caught Bellsprout from the side with a fiercer Ember attack. Bellsprout was a lot more sluggish when the vines whipped out again, and Cyndaquil dodged left again and fired the Ember. Bellsprout wavered and then toppled. The match was over.

"YES!" Kaida screamed. She ran towards Cyndaquil, who luckily put out the fire on his back before Kaida scooped him up and squished him happily. "You did it! I'm so proud!" She spun around with Cyndaquil in her arms, cheering enthusiastically.

"Little off putting!" Nila snapped, from across the room.

Kaida stopped and looked over at her friend. The Bellsprout there was trying to catch Chikorita in Wrap and, while Chikorita had evaded the first few attempts, the vines eventually caught up and she was pulled into a tight hold. She began struggling almost instantly, attempting desperately to get free.

"Stop struggling," Nila ordered. "Now, you can still move your head. Razor Leaf!"

"Sleep Powder, Bellsprout."

So that was how it worked, Kaida thought. Trap the Pokémon and then use a status move to immobilise it. Then Bellsprout would be free to attack for quite a while without Chikorita struggling to get free. The shimmering dust was released at the same time Chikorita successfully hit Bellsprout with Razor Leaf and forced it to let go of Wrap.

"Chikorita, move!"

It was too late. The glittering spores hit Chikorita in the face. She sneezed and then began to waver on her feet.

"Stay awake," Nila said, but it was useless.

Chikorita slumped to the floor.

"Use Wrap again," Sage Chow commanded.

Nila could only watch as the sleeping Chikorita was crushed by the vines from Bellsprout. She frowned. What could she do now? Nothing, evidently, until Chikorita woke up.

"Chikorita!" she said loudly. "Get up!"

Surely the vines had to be squeezing hard enough to seriously hurt. Chikorita had to feel that and wake up... right? And, to Nila's relief, she was right. Chikorita was already stirring. However, the vines had covered Chikorita's head and Nila had to think strategically. She couldn't hit Bellsprout, since Chikorita was completely covered, but, perhaps...

"Chikorita, form the leaves, but don't let go. Keep spinning."

Something was happening. Bellsprout was wincing in pain and, though the Wrap was tightening, Nila knew that just a moment... Yes! The vines receded and Chikorita was freed from Wrap. Chikorita was now awake and ready, with her whirling leaf on the top of her head.

"Now, release Razor Leaf!" Nila called. "Follow it up with Tackle!"

Chikorita sent an enormous stream of leaves towards Bellsprout, who desperately tried to dodge them, wiggling its skinny body from side to side. Then, once that assault ended, Chikorita slammed into Bellsprout's side. The Pokémon was thrown backwards and wobbled around, weakened and dazed, before finally collapsing to the ground. Sage Chow recalled Bellsprout to its Pokéball and a crease appeared between his eyebrows.

"Good match," he said.

"Thanks," Nila replied.

Chikorita ran back over to Nila, looking triumphant. Nila stooped and patted her Pokémon on the head.

"You can continue to the next floor," Sage Nico told them.

Kaida and Nila hurried towards the stairs. Kaida boasted loudly at Cyndaquil's prowess with fire while Nila gave her a longsuffering look.

"What?" Kaida demanded, scowling.

"You're like one of those insufferable mothers who think their child signals the second coming of Arceus."

Kaida sniffed. "I can't help it that Cyndaquil is amazing." She stroked Cyndaquil. "Ignore the nasty Nila, Cyndaquil. She's always grumpy."

Nila just rolled her eyes again.

At the top of the stairs, they were greeted by another sage, who introduced himself as Sage Edmond. He was dressed in the same long robes and had the same shaven head. They all looked freakishly similar, Kaida thought, except this one had quite a protuberant nose, which marked him out from the two before.

"Who, of you, will fight me?"

"I will!" Kaida said eagerly. She was definitely ready to roast another Bellsprout with Cyndaquil's awesome power. "Let's start!"

They moved into the centre of the floor and Sage Edmond released two Bellsprout this time. They both bobbed their heads in time and Kaida's eyes flickered between the two of them. The first one was slightly taller, but the second one was fatter, if that was at all possible for a spindly little Bellsprout.

"I only have one Pokémon," Kaida told him. She glanced at Nila, hoping Sage Edmond would let them have a double battle against him.

"And that is the challenge," Sage Edmond said calmly.

"Eh, that's not fair," Kaida muttered. She shook her head. This was Cyndaquil against two weedy grass Pokémon. He was definitely going to win. She just had to think strategically. "Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

Cyndaquil fired up his back and took aim at one of the Bellsprout. He shot the fire and landed a powerful hit, but the other Bellsprout took the opportunity to use Vine Whip, smacking Cyndaquil harshly. Cyndaquil sent an Ember back at the second Bellsprout, but the first one now used Vine Whip, jolting Cyndaquil and causing him to miss. Kaida bit her lip anxiously. She couldn't let Cyndaquil get jostled around by two bullies!

"Bellsprout, use Stun Spore!"

"Dodge it!"

The Bellsprout flanked Cyndaquil, but he managed to dodge out of the way in the nick of time. Kaida's next command had him slamming into one of them using Quick Attack. There were two of them, so he had to be quick, otherwise he would never win. Unfortunately, when the attack was over, Cyndaquil didn't get moving quickly enough, and the other Bellsprout hit him with Vine Whip. It wasn't very effective, but it would wear Cyndaquil down eventually.

Kaida knew what she had to do, but she wasn't sure how to communicate it to Cyndaquil without Sage Edmond catching on and stopping her. She watched Cyndaquil lunge at the Bellsprout, alternating between them, trying to prevent them from coming too close.

"Stop that, Cyndaquil," she called. "Just guard against the Vine Whip."

The Bellsprout edged closer and closer and Kaida wondered how long she could leave it. Cyndaquil was caught in the leg by one of the Vine Whip attacks and it caved, causing him to fall down. The Bellsprout were only a foot away from him now, on opposite sides.

"Use Stun Spore," Sage Edmond ordered.

The sage thought that Cyndaquil was down, unable to move, but Kaida knew he'd underestimated how quick Cyndaquil was.

"Roll out the way," she yelled.

Cyndaquil didn't even need to get up to roll. He leant forwards and tumbled head over heels out of the way of the attack. One of the Bellsprout was quick enough to realise what was about to happen and ducked. The other one wasn't so lucky, and was hit in the face with a cloud of Stun Spore. Kaida whooped in triumph.

"Go, Cyndaquil!" she praised. "Now, take out the one still moving! Ember!"

The paralysed Bellsprout could still move a little, but it was slow and inaccurate, so Cyndaquil could blast the fatter Bellsprout without interruption. The Bellsprout still moving seemed at a loss without its partner and barely responded before Cyndaquil hit it with another Ember and knocked it out. The small fire Pokémon then turned on the paralysed Bellsprout.

"Do I need to continue?" Kaida asked Sage Edmond.

The sage smiled and shook his head. "No, you have proven your power." He inclined his head at her. "Well fought." He drew out his Pokéballs and returned the fainted Bellsprout before tending to the paralysed one. Once Bellsprout was cured, and drew itself up feebly, Sage Edmond looked to Nila. "Sage Jin will be back in a moment. Please, wait."

It was only a few minutes before another Sage walked up the stairs, holding something small and brown in his hand. He lifted it to his lips. Kaida had to smother a laugh because the solemn sage looked rather odd taking a huge bite out of half-eaten sandwich. They seemed like the sort of men who fasted and only ate fruit.

"Challengers?" Jin said, after swallowing his mouthful. "One moment." He quickly polished off the rest of his sandwich and then hunted around in his robes for his Pokéball. "Aha," he cried after finding it. "Here we are." He looked at Kaida and Nila. "Who is my opponent?"

Nila and Chikorita stepped forward.

"Very well," Sage Jin said. "Bellsprout, go!"

Kaida wanted to protest at the unfairness of Nila only having to face one opponent, but she held her tongue when the Bellsprout spat an Acid attack at Chikorita, who only just about managed to avoid it. Ah, this Bellsprout was actually quite tough, and it knew a move that was a serious weakness to Chikorita. The purple liquid bubbled ominously and both Nila and Chikorita looked wary.

"Bell!" the Bellsprout chirped, before sending another spout of Acid flying at Chikorita.

Chikorita wasn't as quick as Cyndaquil; in fact, she was rather slow considering her small, light size. However, she was made of sturdy stuff. Nila was confident she could endure a few hits of Acid, although she'd rather avoid that. She had to figure out a way to take Bellsprout down _quickly_. Her problem was that Razor Leaf had little effect on a fellow grass Pokémon and Tackle would take Chikorita in range of the Acid. It didn't look like she had much choice though.

"Knock it down with Razor Leaf!" Nila ordered.

Chikorita struck Bellsprout down with the Razor Leaf, which didn't do much damage. However, it bought time for Chikorita to charge in and Tackle. She hit the Bellsprout forcefully and then retreated to a safer range from the Acid.

"Try it again!"

"Acid!" Sage Jin commanded.

The Acid struck the leaves and disintegrated them. Chikorita backed up to avoid the Acid, which splattered a foot in front of her. Bellsprout twirled happily and fired another Acid in quick succession. This time Chikorita wasn't quick enough. The acid attack did more damage than Nila had anticipated. A second one spell the end; a third one would definitely finish off Chikorita.

Chikorita waited until the next Acid attack came and then ducked while firing the Razor Leaf. Bellsprout couldn't summon another Acid attack quickly enough. Chikorita charged and used Tackle again. While Bellsprout was on the floor, Chikorita stepped backwards out of the shadows and into a stream of light coming through the windows.

The glowing, Nila thought.

"Use Synthesis," she ordered.

With the help of the sun, Chikorita shone, her health restoring as they watched. Bellsprout wobbled back up, having difficulties due to the odd weight distribution in its body, but by that time Chikorita was moving again. Using Synthesis would have to be saved for when the opponent was down, Nila realised, as Chikorita was vulnerable when using it.

Bellsprout used Acid again. Chikorita dodged the first one but was hit, half on, with the second. The damage wasn't as severe as the previous Acid attack, as Chikorita had escaped the worst of the blow, but it still drew attention to the fact that Chikorita had not inflicted much damage on Bellsprout and, if this went on, the battle would be over, despite the fact that Chikorita could heal itself using Synthesis. Nila knew she was just going to have to take some risks.

At her orders, Chikorita sent Razor Leaf at Bellsprout, who dodged the first wave, destroyed the second with Acid, and was finally hit by the third. Chikorita leapt into Tackle Bellsprout, but Bellsprout was ready and swung back up, sending Acid into Chikorita's face. Chikorita reeled, but forced herself onwards, and smashed into the Bellsprout, pinning it to the ground.

"Razor Leaf!"

From there, Chikorita whirled her leaf and sent the Razor Leaf spinning into Bellsprout at close range. Bellsprout squeaked. Chikorita backed off before she could be hit with another Acid. Then, she shocked Bellsprout and Sage Jin by charging straight back in, the Acid attack flying on her head, so she could hit Bellsprout again.

Bellsprout and Chikorita both backed off, eyeing each other warily. Then, at the same time, Acid and Razor Leaf were fired. The Acid attack arched over the leaves. Chikorita was too slow to dodge; so was Bellsprout. Both of them glared at each other for another few seconds, and then, suddenly, Bellsprout's eyes rolled back and it fell over.

Sage Jin blinked, looking surprised at his loss. A second later, he drew the other half of his sandwich out of his robes and started on that. Sage Edmond pinched his nose in exasperation.

"You two should proceed upstairs."

They crossed the floor of the second floor and reached the stairs.

"Nice battle against the all the acid," Kaida said to Nila.

"Nice fire," Nila replied.

That was enough for Kaida, who beamed at the thought of her beloved Cyndaquil and his powerful fire abilities. Well, they weren't as powerful as they could be – when he'd learn the mighty Flamethrower or Fire Blast – but they were on their way!

The next floor had shutters over all the windows so only the faintest amount of light was let in. They proceeded slowly across the dim room towards the next stairs. There was a strange scratching noise, which Kaida thought could be Rattata, but when she looked around she saw nothing. She supposed it wasn't too surprising: they were small and it was dark. However, when she reached the stairs, and took one more look behind her, she stumbled.

A pair of eyes were watching her.

They couldn't be from a Rattata, unless Rattata could levitate three feet in the air. She saw little else of the mysterious eyes before they disappeared. She blinked, and saw nothing, but she knew she hadn't been imagining it.

"Kaida?" Nila said, from a few steps up. "You OK?"

"Oh, yeah," Kaida said, shaking her head to clear her mind. "Let's go."

The next floor was in a similar state, except two shutters were pulled back. This meant less danger of smashing into anything in the dark. They crossed to the stairs and climbed them, travelling up to the fifth floor. There, they saw a sage practising some karate kicks with a trio of twirling Bellsprout.

"Oh, hello, I'm Sage Neal." He bowed, lower than the others had, and gave them a bright smile. "Who will challenge me?"

Kaida volunteered herself.

"Excellent," Sage Neal said. He walked towards her and held out a hand. "Take this."

Kaida stretched her hand out and he dropped a small object into it. She inspected it and found it was a wooden die. On each of the six sides was a neatly scratched in word. They said: race, wrestle, quiz, jump, accuracy, break block.

"Ugh," Kaida said, confused. "What do I...?"

"Roll it," Sage Neal said cheerfully. "Come on. Time's a wasting!"

"I know you roll dice," Kaida said. "I mean, weren't we supposed to battle?"

"That's boring. You can beat me two out of three with these."

Kaida looked at Nila, who shrugged, and then she turned back to Sage Neal. She threw the die high in the air and watched it clatter to the floor. The side facing up said 'break block'.

"Excellent," Sage Neal said. "Follow me."

They crossed the room, passing the three fighting Bellsprout, and stopped in front of a pile of wooden planks. Sage Neal put out two on stubby stands and beamed.

"You have to break the block using your Pokémon's body," Sage Neal explained. "Come on, Leafy. It's your go."

One of the three Bellsprout tore from the fight to Sage Neal's side. Kaida raised her eyebrows. Well, Cyndaquil wasn't exactly _big_, but he had a lot more weight to him than the weedy Bellsprout. She wasn't sure if he'd be able to break wood that thick physically, but he'd have to give it a go. She cast a wary look at Bellsprout, who lined up against the wood.

"Jump into the air and use Tackle down on it," Kaida told Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil nodded in determination. He walked up to his plank of wood and prepared himself.

Sage Neal clapped his hands together. "One, two, three, GO!"

Before Cyndaquil could even move, Bellsprout lashed a vine down on the wooden plank and broke it in two. Kaida stared with her mouth open. A _Bellsprout_ had just broken a wooden plank a few inches thick. What in Lugia's name was going on? She glanced back at Cyndaquil just in time to see Cyndaquil smash into the plank. The wood splintered, but didn't break, and Cyndaquil flopped off it onto the floor, looking dazed.

"Cyndaquil!" she yelped in concern. She ran towards him to check on his head, but he seemed to recover quickly.

"I win!" Sage Neal said happily. "Well done Bellsprout."

The Bellsprout waved its leafy arms happily. Kaida watched it out of the corner of her eye. That thing was a super strong freak of nature! Bellsprout looked like a Pokémon you could pick up and wrap round a lamppost if it annoyed you. Yet, it had managed to smash the wood where Cyndaquil was in danger of concussion. It was unnatural!

"I'll roll this time," Sage Neal said, throwing the die to the floor. The small object teetered on the brink of wrestle or race – while Kaida feared what that insanely strong Bellsprout could do to poor Cyndaquil in a wrestling match – but very fortunately, it fell so 'race' faced upwards.

"From one side of the room and back!" Sage Neal said, scratching a line out with chalk. "If your friend could go over there and make sure they both touch the wall..."

Nila looked briefly annoyed at being asked to move, but trudged over to the other side of the room without voicing any complaints. Chikorita trailed after her.

"Ready, set, GO!"

Bellsprout was quicker off the mark, because Cyndaquil wasn't ready, and its body wiggled furiously along. It was ridiculously fast, too, but Cyndaquil caught up easily enough, before skidding to a halt for the wall. The Bellsprout was quicker to turn, and had a fair head start, so Cyndaquil had to force himself to go even faster to catch up. It was going to be close, Kaida noticed, because Bellsprout was ahead but Cyndaquil was quicker. The white chalk line was getting closer and closer as they drew neck and neck... then Cyndaquil was over the line, a nose ahead, and Kaida whooped in joy.

"Well done," Sage Neal congratulated. "Commiserations, Leafy, but I'm sure you'll win next time!"

Leafy bobbed its head sadly. It still had the block breaking to cheer itself up though.

"The final roll," Sage Neal said in a dramatic, hushed voice. He handed it over to Nila, who had returned. "Your turn."

Kaida glared at Nila. If she made it land on wrestle or something that Cyndaquil couldn't do, Kaida was going to _kill _her. Nila didn't even throw the die. Kaida had thrown it up, and Sage Neal had throw it away from him, but Nila just let it drop. It bounced three times before settling on 'quiz'.

Sage Neal whipped out a large stack of cards from the folds of his robes. "You can answer ten of these," he said. "Get seven right, and you win! They're quite simple... Except this one..." He tossed it over his shoulder and it was caught by Leafy the Bellsprout, who examined it curiously. "They discover more about Pokémon every day... Anyway... Complete the evolution tree... Torchic, blank, Blaziken."

"Ooh, ooh," Kaida said, jumping up and down, "Combusken!"

Of course she knew that, Kaida rejoiced. It was a fire Pokémon! It might be from Hoenn, and she was less familiar with Pokémon not native to Kanto and Johto, but she knew her fire types!

"Good one," Sage Neal said, "I thought that one was a little tricky for most natives of Johto... Ah, here, what type of Pokémon is Hypno?"

"Psychic," Kaida said quickly. She rubbed her hands together, determined to get all the questions right.

"What does Clamperl need in order to evolve into Huntail?"

Kaida drew a blank. She knew they were some sort of Hoenn water Pokémon...

"Water Stone?" she guessed.

"No, a Deep Sea Tooth." Sage Neal tutted.

"What?" Kaida exploded. "You said these were easy!"

Sage Neal suddenly looked a little shifty. "Well, I have been studying here for over twenty years..."

Kaida's eye twitched. Great. She'd answered two correctly and she had five more to go. Hopefully she'd get some more questions on fire Pokémon, not stupid, complicated water Pokémon.

"On the same subject," Sage Neal asked, "how does a Sneasel evolve into a Weavile?"

"Oh, oh," Kaida said, drawing another blank. No, she knew this. Nila loved Sneasel. She wanted a Sneasel. She'd told Kaida way too much information about dark Pokémon, so surely some of had to be useful! Kaida had to admit that she normally blanked out and thought about fire Pokémon, but still... Subconsciously she must have picked up something... Suddenly, something clicked. "It needs a Razor Claw!"

"And?" Sage Neal pressed.

Kaida wanted to snap at him. And what? She thought. It hit her like a brick to the face. "And it has to be at night!"

She glanced over at Nila, who nodded once. Yes! Nila had been useful. Kaida would thank her by getting her a glass of milk or something...

"Well done," Sage Neal praised. "Now... Out of Gloom, Bellossom and Exeggcute, which of these _cannot _learn Solarbeam?"

Kaida froze. Grass types. How much did she not care about grass types? She wracked her brain. "Um, Exeggcute?" she tried.

"Nope," Sage Neal said cheerfully, shaking his bald head. "All of them can!"

"That's an unfair, trick question!" Kaida ranted. Now she could only afford to get one more wrong!

Sage Neal ignored her protests. Instead, he moved onto the next question, inquiring, "What time of Pokémon does Tyrogue evolve into if its Attack skill is less than its Defence?"

Kaida wanted to swear loudly. How impossible were these questions? OK, she thought, trying to take it logically. It could evolve into Hitmontop, Hitmonchan, or Hitmonlee. She thought if it was about the same then it evolved into Hitmontop. So which way round were Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee? She had no idea. She decided she'd just have to guess.

"Hitmonlee!"

"Correct," Sage Neal said. "Or so the scholars have recently been speculating." He seemed dubious. "The next question is, gender differences between Pikachu."

Pikachu was a fairly common Pokémon, Kaida thought desperately. She'd seen it plenty of times. Ah, yes. She remembered. "The female has a dent in its tail."

"Heart-shaped tail, but that will do," Sage Neal accepted. "So far you have five right and two wrong. You have three more questions. Now, which type does the leader of the gym on Cinnabar Island specialise in?"

As if Kaida wouldn't know this! "Fire!" she yelled.

Nila rubbed her temple. Kaida was getting louder and louder with every answer and it was giving her a headache.

"Correct. Two more questions to go. You need one more right answer." Sage Neal cleared his throat. "What is Bellsprout's ability?"

Great. She was in a tower dedicated to Bellsprout and she still didn't know Bellsprout's ability. If only Flo were here and Kaida could read minds. Perhaps that was a bit of a long shot. She knew some grass abilities like Overgrow and Chlorophyll and she thought Leafeon knew Leaf Guard or something... Well, Chikorita's ability was Overgrow, but Bellsprout could have it too. She didn't think it had Leaf Guard, but Chlorophyll was certainly plausible. She thought back to the race. Bellsprout had been very quick, but now she thought about it, it had been speeding up a fraction under those sunny windows. It had to be Chlorophyll; it was quicker in the sun!

"Chlorophyll!"

Sage Neal looked stunned. "Yes," he said. He blinked away his shock. "Excellent!" He bowed lowly to Kaida. "Well done indeed. You are smarter than I judged..."

Kaida wasn't sure whether that was an insult or a compliment. She settled for narrowing her eyes and smiling at the same time, which made Nila snort with laughter at the twisted expression.

"Carry on, children," Sage Neal said, gesturing towards the stairs. "I think only one more of my brothers is left before the Elder."

They left him to train his crazily strong Bellsprout and traipsed up another flight of stairs. As they walked, Nila commented, "I'm surprised. You actually know stuff."

Kaida had to hit her in the arm for that.

"That came out wrong," Nila said, rubbing her arm. On reflection, she decided, "No, actually, it didn't."

Kaida scowled. Unfortunately, Nila picked that moment to dart up a few more stairs so she was out of Kaida's reach. She'd get Nila back later for calling her stupid...

They were greeted on the next floor by a disembodied voice.

"Ah, you're here."

Another sage stepped out from behind the central swaying pillar. The room they were in was half light and half dark with various shutters opened and closed. The man stepped out of the shadow and into the light.

"You," he said, looking at Kaida. "You're punier than I expected. To get this far..."

"Puny?" Kaida exploded.

Nila started to laugh, which was strike two against Kaida in less than five minutes. Kaida gave her the evil death glare of doom. It seemed to have little effect. She must have overused it recently. That wouldn't do. Now Nila was building immunity...

"I think I have to battle you," Nila said.

"No way!" Kaida snapped. "This guy just called me puny!"

"There, there," Nila said patronisingly, a smirk playing on her lips.

Kaida loved her best friend, but sometimes she wanted to punch her in the face.

"It's my turn," Nila said, turning back to the next sage. "Who are you?"

"I am Sage Troy," the sage replied.

Kaida muttered something about a stupid man with a stupid name. She then settled down to fume quietly in the background. Revenge would be hers eventually...

Nila and Kaida were both surprised when, instead of a Bellsprout, Sage Troy released a Hoothoot.

"I thought you all trained with Bellsprout here," Nila said, eyeing the bird Pokémon with trepidation.

"We do," Sage Troy said, "but we can have other Pokémon too."

Right, Nila thought, Chikorita could do this. She'd faced John's Hoothoot plenty of times, so they just needed to employ the same tactics.

"Hypnosis," Troy ordered calmly.

Hoothoot's red eyes began to whirl. Chikorita darted away just in time to avoid being drawn in and lulled to sleep. She turned back from a safer distance and sent sharp leaves spinning at Hoothoot, who flapped its wings sharply to dodge out of the way. Hoothoot whirled through the air above Chikorita's head while the small, grass Pokémon tried to keep an eye on it.

"Peck!"

"Tackle!"

Hoothoot and Chikorita collided. Chikorita slammed the bird to the ground, but Hoothoot was pecking every inch of Chikorita that it could reach, forcing Chikorita to back away. Hoothoot got to its feet in time to be hit by a Razor Leaf. It looked rather indignant when it launched back into the air. It flew around Chikorita's head, gliding out of the way of Razor Leaf attacks, waiting for its moment to strike. Slowly, it grew closer and closer to Chikorita, and Nila finally couldn't wait anymore.

"Tackle!"

Chikorita leapt forwards at the precise moment that Hoothoot set up a Reflect, meaning the attack was greatly dampened. Hoothoot was then in the right condition to pull off its next move: Hypnosis. Chikorita couldn't back away quickly enough and was caught in the attack.

"Come on, Chikorita," Nila muttered. "Get up."

But Chikorita stayed still as Hoothoot delivered several forceful pecks. It was obvious the battle was over: even if Chikorita woke up, she'd be too exhausted to fight. Hoothoot had done too much damage. Nila walked over to check the damage as Chikorita stirred.

"I think I win," Troy said, returning a preening Hoothoot to its Pokéball. "You have failed the Sprout Challenge. Your friend, on the other hand, may continue."

From the ground next to Chikorita, Nila raised her eyebrows. "I'm not allowed up there with her?"

Troy shook his head and said, firmly, "Absolutely not. Try again another day if you want to go further." He looked at Kaida. "Continue up. There is only Elder Li left."

Nila stood up and folded her arms across her chest. "I guess I'll wait here..." When Troy looked distinctly uncomfortable with this idea, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, grumpy," she said to him, "I'll go see if Neal wants company. He's a lot more interesting than you..."

She went back down the stairs to see the sage with the three freaky Bellsprout. Kaida took one last look at Troy's sour face and went to the other step of stairs, leading upwards. She went through several more floors before she finally reached the top of Sprout Tower, where the shuddering beam met the roof. Across the room, an elderly man with a more elaborate robe was kneeling before a shrine. The shrine contained images of different Bellsprout, and it made Kaida wonder, once again, why people would want to dedicate a tower to that strange Pokémon. It wasn't particularly impressive. She knew Violet City had a lot of Bellsprout around the area, but that didn't call for a celebration. New Bark Town had lots of pesky Sentret and they didn't worship them!

The sage finally noticed she was there and stood up to greet her. He was bald but had surprisingly thick eyebrows, beard, and moustache. The eyebrows were particularly bizarre, as they arched upwards at the ends. It wasn't the strangest thing about him: he was wearing a purple and yellow robe, and, frankly, it was hideous. Kaida thought those two colours should be banned from being next to each other!

"Hello," the old man said, "I'm Elder Li."

"I'm Kaida."

The man bowed so deeply that Kaida was afraid he would hurt his back. Apparently he was spryer than his old age suggested. He straightened up and smiled at her.

"I'm pleased you have made it this far," Elder Li told her. "You only have to beat me to be taught the technique of Sprout Tower."

Kaida nodded eagerly. She was very interested in what this technique was. She doubted it was some amazingly awesome fire skill, since it was a tower dedicated to a grass Pokémon, but it might still be cool. Her curiosity was too much!

"However," Li said regretfully. "My Bellsprout's not in a battling mood today. He's upset."

He pulled up the white table cloth to show Kaida a dejected Bellsprout slumped under the table. Bellsprout seemed to shrivel up more when revealed, so Elder Li let go of the cloth.

Li explained, "He stumbled across some strong wine last night. Hangover."

Kaida's eyes popped. These were meant to be devoted, pious sages. Their Pokémon weren't supposed to get drunk and have a killer headache in the morning!

"It happens to us all." Li chuckled regretfully. "Well, I've abstained from drinking for over thirty years, and I hope this Bellsprout learns his lesson too."

Kaida wondered whether he was going to drop anymore bombshells. Perhaps he wouldn't stop until she passed out from the shock.

"You probably met Troy," LI added. "He's been in a foul mood because of that too."

It was sort of relieving to think the sage with the Hoothoot didn't wear that disgusted look normally. Kaida was still amazed that the sages had been drinking. She said as much to Elder Li.

"We were offering libations," Li said solemnly.

Kaida snorted quietly. Libations indeed!

"We must have some other contest," Li declared. "How about a riddle? I do love riddles!"

Kaida hated riddles. Great.

"Give me food, and I will live; give me water, and I will die. What am I?"

Kaida's mind automatically went blank, so she had to shake her head to try to think it out. Her first thought was Nila having a tantrum and dying after receiving water instead of her beloved milk. That was a stupid answer, of course, but Kaida struggled to think of anything better. What else needed food? At that moment, Cyndaquil tugged her leg and she looked down and smiled at him. Yes, her sweet little Cyndaquil needed food. He did need water as well, but he didn't like it, and he certainly wouldn't want it when his fire was going... Wait! That was it!

"Fire!"

Elder Li chuckled merrily. "Well done, Kaida. I had to use that after I saw your little fire Pokémon here." He bent down and patted a happy Cyndaquil on the head. "Now, I can teach him my special technique. Observe carefully. This will be extremely useful for you in the future."

"Is it a Pokémon move?" Kaida asked curiously. "I know Pokémon can struggle learning too many, so I don't want him to get overwhelmed."

Elder Li shook his head. "No, I wouldn't class this as a move. As I said, it's more of a technique, though it can certainly be used in battle too."

"What is it?" Kaida asked, now practically squealing from anticipation. What would Cyndaquil be learning?

Elder Li raised his arms jubilantly. "Flash!"

Kaida's expression fell and she squinted at the old man. "Flash?"

Elder Li bobbed his head enthusiastically "I'll teach him to use his fire to illuminate caves and dazzle his enemies. He's perfectly suitable for the technique!" He cleared his throat. "Watch closely."

Kaida sighed and sat down on the floor. Flash was making a burst of light. That wasn't exactly the roaring fire move she'd secretly been hoping for, no matter how improbable. She supposed she could give the technique a chance. She watched Elder Li teach Cyndaquil how to focus his 'inner light' and was amazed at the man's skills. Kaida knew she'd struggle to teach Cyndaquil anything like that. She hoped she was get as good as Elder Li with experience. Plus, he was right; she could use it against her opponents. She dreamed up battle plans including Cyndaquil blasting his opponent with light and finishing them off with fire!

It took a surprisingly short time to treat Cyndaquil the move, but it had still been several hours, so Kaida wondered what Nila's reaction would be. However, she was too busy beaming with pride about Cyndaquil's quick progress at the skill to be hesitant. Sure, Cyndaquil still had a little work to do, but Elder Li assured her there was nothing more he could do, and Cyndaquil just had to practise. She let Cyndaquil cling to her shoulder as she jumped back down the stairs to find Nila.

Nila had a very bruised hand when Kaida reached her. She muttered something about an accident, but Kaida saw Sage Neal and his Bellsprout's enthusiastically chopping blocks, and she just knew her friend had tried it. Nila had apparently failed quite badly.

"Flash could be useful," Nila said after Kaida told her what Elder Li had taught Cyndaquil. "If Cyndaquil can light up caves then you have less chance of falling in underground lakes."

"Shut up," Kaida yelped. "That was Flo's stupid fault!"

It was getting dark so the second floor was even gloomier than before. They shuffled a few feet into the darkness before Nila grew impatient. Kaida could empathise after stumbling over an uneven floorboard.

"I know he's not an expert yet, but he could still give a little light!"

Kaida patted Cyndaquil on his head. The fire Pokémon jumped to the floor and screwed up his face in concentration. His flames shot up but they were emitting a lot more light than before. They couldn't see all around the room, but they could see a few metres in each direction at least. They walked forwards again.

Nila yawned and stretched her arms behind her back. "I need sleep," she complained.

"Yeah, with your looks you need plenty of it," Kaida jibed, still high from her victory.

Nila gave her a flat look. Kaida shrunk away. Tired Nila was scary Nila. She either got bizarrely hyper – which was ten thousand kinds of creepy – or extremely grouchy. The latter was the most common and normally meant she attempted to 'silence' people in deadly ways. This was bad. They were alone in a dark room. Maybe nobody would hear Kaida scream...

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Kaida noticed something again. An eerie purple glow... She spun and saw nothing. She blinked into the darkness, but whatever it was evaded the Cyndaquil's illumination.

"Did you see that?" Kaida demanded, tugging Nila's sleeve.

"No," Nila replied. She continued walking. Kaida looked around once more. She sighed and was about to follow Nila before she saw it again! She dashed forwards and tugged harder on Nila's sleeve.

"I really did see something," Kaida squeaked.

Embarrassingly, she was a little scared. In her defence, the tower was extremely creepy. Maybe even creepier than Nila hyper. It swayed and creaked ominously, and now, apart from that, it was silent, and who knew how many of the sages were left in the building, or where they were. None were on the second floor at any rate. Cyndaquil pressed closer to Kaida's leg. He was nervous too. Even the unruffled Chikorita was looking around, apparently trying to spot something that was just out of sight.

And there it was again. Purple! This time it had a face. Kaida inhaled sharply.

"It's a Gastly, moron," Nila said.

"Oh," Kaida said, suddenly remembering the ghost type Pokémon.

It seemed to be able to hear its name as it floated out of the darkness, and into Cyndaquil's light, towards her.

"I want one," Kaida decided randomly.

Nila gave her a weird look but nodded. She moved out the way.

"Remember Tackle is useless," she said.

"I know," Kaida said. "I'm not _stupid_. Cyndaquil, Ember."

Nothing happened.

Kaida looked down at her leg. Cyndaquil was pressing against it and looked to have no intention of moving. Aaw, it was scared.

"Come on, Cyndaquil, be brave. It's only a Pokémon. Ember!"

Cyndaquil looked more determined now. It pulled away from Kaida's leg and the flames shot out of its back. It opened its mouth and sent out the tiny, but powerful, sparks of fire.

Gastly zoomed back into the darkness. It reappeared behind Kaida.

"Behind you," said Nila, sounding bored on the sideline.

Kaida and Cyndaquil spun. Gastly smirked and disappeared again. Kaida whirled around and the Gastly reappeared where it had been before. Its tongue lolled from its mouth before it shimmered from existence. Kaida cursed. The Gastly seemed to laugh as it reappeared beside her. She leapt backwards, shocked.

"Try and hit it with Ember," Kaida said to Cyndaquil, "but don't tire yourself out."

Frustratingly, Gastly seemed to enjoy toying with Cyndaquil and Kaida, and it didn't want to face them in direct battle. Kaida thought hard. How was she going to flush Gastly out?

Then, suddenly, Gastly appeared and the air around it shimmered. It washed over Cyndaquil, who cried out. That had to be… Night Shade? Well, that meant they had to step up their game. Now Cyndaquil was getting hurt as well.

"Use Ember," Kaida ordered, "but fire it all around you."

Cyndaquil seemed to think for a moment before attempting to do it. Nila and Chikorita hastily moved out of the way. Little balls of fire flew across the room but they were a little patchy and the Gastly merely appeared in the gaps, smirking. Cyndaquil puffed and Kaida realised that the move had tired him out.

"Great," she muttered.

But then Cyndaquil was up again. He dodged the shimmering air when Gastly returned with another Night Shade attack, and dodged when Gastly appeared near it, tongue out for a Lick attack. Then, Cyndaquil spun into a ball of rolling fire, moving, completely aflame, and catching Gastly off guard. Before the Gastly could recover, Cyndaquil used Ember again and the Gastly was weakened further. Now, Kaida realised, it was time for her to act. She threw the Pokéball and watched Gastly sucked inside it. The Pokéball clattered to the ground and began to flash. She watched expectantly as the Pokéball shuddered violently but, eventually, it stopped flashing. She had caught her Gastly.

For her triumph, Kaida received a long, slow clapping from Nila.

"Don't be all sarcastic," she said crossly. "I just caught my first Pokémon. I don't see _you_ with any Pokémon apart from Chikorita."

"I wasn't being sarcastic," Nila said. "I'm hungry. We need to go to Plum's and get dinner."

Kaida ignored her and began to pet Cyndaquil – on the head to avoid the flames that were still lighting up the room – to congratulate it on its triumph. Cute and powerful. Her favourite combination.

"And you _do _realise Cyndaquil just learned a new move, don't you?" Nila said.

"It did?" Kaida said. She had been too caught up with the victory. She thought back. "Oh yeah. That had to be… Flame Wheel!"

She cooed at Cyndaquil some more.

Nila groaned. "Come _on_."

Kaida looked up. Both Nila and Chikorita were wearing their grumpy faces. It was funny how they resembled each other.

"I'm _hungry_. We're leaving now. Well done. Let's go."

Kaida laughed, gave Cyndaquil one last pat on the head, and scooped up Gastly's Pokéball. She couldn't wait to start training it in the morning. A sneaky ghost type. It had to learn some kind of awesome fire move. She'd ask her mother… As for now… Dinner did sound good.

"I wonder where Flo went," Kaida mused as they left the tower.

"As long as she's stopped trying to use _street talk _or whatever that was," Nila said, recalling Flo and the orange haired girl. "It was embarrassing."

"And John," Kaida said. "Wonder if he got anywhere with training Dunsparce."

Nila shrugged. "Well, we'd find out sooner if you walked a bit faster."

Kaida scowled. She shoved Nila. Caught off guard, the taller girl fell into the bushes. Kaida blinked. She hadn't expected _that _to happen. Oops. Now she needed to run before an angry Nila beat her up. She was crabby and without food… Yeah, she'd be mad.

"That's laughing when that guy called me puny!" Kaida yelled.

She sprinted off, leaving Nila to pick the leaves out of her hair.

* * *

When they returned to Flo's house, there was a small girl there who hadn't been there before. She looked quite a bit like Flo, with the same light brown hair, but she had pale blue eyes. These eyes narrowed as soon as she saw Kaida and Nila walking through the door.

"Who are they?" she demanded in a churlish tone.

"I told you!" Flo said. "My new friends."

"Let's not just go throwing the 'f' word around," Nila muttered.

Kaida laughed. "Who's this?"

"_This_," Flo said, gesturing to the small girl, "is Bryony. She's my cousin. On Mum's side."

The little girl regarded them sullenly. As she did, a small Pokémon bounced behind her. Its body was yellow with dark stripes and it had two little green leaves on top of its head and, while Kaida didn't know much about Sunkern, she did think it was a bit more rotund than normal. It regarded them with its dark, button eyes. Then, without warning, it burst into tears. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears. How could such a small, innocent looking Pokémon make such a _terrible_ noise?

"You scared it!" Bryony accused.

"We didn't do anything!" Kaida protested. Cyndaquil rolled around on the floor next to her, in some pain. Chikorita tried to tuck its head underneath its body.

"Aaah, stop," Flo yelped.

Flo dashed around the kitchen until she found some small food pellets. She dropped them next to the Sunkern and, instantly, it stopped crying to gobble them up. Once it had finished, it gurgled happily and rubbed against Bryony's leg. Kaida raised her eyebrows. That was one spoilt, cry-baby Pokémon. No wonder it was a bit podgy…

"Mum's gonna get annoyed," Flo said to Bryony. "She said not to feed it anymore. You've got to stop it doing that."

Bryony poked her tongue out. "No," she said. "Can't make me. Macy feeds it."

A dark expression crossed Flo's face. They had never seen her look so menacing. "I don't care what _Macy _does," she snapped.

"You should," Bryony jeered, pulling another face up at her cousin. "She's a better cousin than you. And a better Pokémon trainer!"

"No she's not!" Flo cried.

Bryony knew she had struck gold and continued to taunt Flo. "She's gonna win the Bellsprout Dance-Off!"

"Who's Macy?" Kaida asked, just before Flo exploded with rage.

"She's my other cousin," Bryony piped up.

"Yeah, that's not helpful," Kaida said dismissively. She looked at Flo, who was still seething.

Bryony scowled at Kaida and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't like you."

"I don't care," Kaida replied. She prodded Flo. "Flo?"

"That… That _witch_ is that orange haired girl from Sprout Tower," Flo raged. "I hate her!"

Oh, Kaida thought, it was the pigtails girl. So they were talking about the girl who Flo had tried – and failed – to trash talk.

"You're cousins," Kaida said. "That's weird."

Families in dispute over a Bellsprout competition. They clearly took everything a little too seriously. She told Flo this.

"It's a very serious competition!" Flo ranted. "The honour, the prestige…"

Kaida and Nila raised their eyebrows. Er, right.

"And she's _not _related to me," Flo continued. "She's just related to her. My mother is the sister of her–" she jerked a finger at Bryony "–father. Then Bryony's mother is the sister of Macy's mother. So we're not related at all! Not by blood!"

"But Macy's father's cousin is your Uncle," Bryony added.

"In law!" Flo screeched. "He's uncle-in-law. Still not related!"

"What about Macy's nephew…"

Kaida was practically cross-eyed at this point. Was everyone related to everyone in Violet City? It was making her feel queasy. Perhaps that was why they were all so crazy: they needed a bit of fresh blood in the family.

"Still not related!" Flo insisted.

Kaida couldn't put up with the cousins screeching for much longer so she grabbed the Pokéball at her waist and declared, "I caught a new Pokémon!" With that, she released Gastly.

Gastly zoomed out of the Pokéball, looking most confused. Then it cackled and dove towards Bryony, Flo, and Sunkern, with a gruesome expression on its face. Flo and Bryony shrieked but it was nothing compared to the reaction of Sunkern, who wailed dramatically before zooming off faster than Kaida would ever have guessed it could bounce. It sped past Nila, Kaida, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita and was out the door – which was still ajar – in a flash.

"Sunkern!" Bryony gasped. She raced after it.

"Bad Gastly," Kaida said, although she was actually very amused by the reactions.

Gastly spun around to face her.

"So," Kaida said, dragging out the word as she thought of what to say. "As long as you don't hurt anyone, feel free to creep them out. And you'll need to do some battling with me. That sound fair?"

Gastly swooped back at Flo and pulled another face. Even though it was a less of a surprise, Flo still screamed. They were interrupted when Bryony burst back through the door in tears.

"I can't find Sunkern!" The watery eyes turned into a glare as Bryony turned to Kaida. "This is _your_ fault. I hate you!"

Kaida sighed. What a bratty child. "Relax," she said. "We'll find Sunkern. I'm sure it didn't go far."

Kaida returned Gastly to its Pokéball because when they found Sunkern they didn't want the little cry-baby to run away again. They walked out of the house and spread out in different directions to look for Sunkern. Kaida was sure it hadn't gone far. She tried to get Cyndaquil to track its trail but stopped when she heard a small scream.

"Sunkern!"

Kaida hurried in the direction of Bryony's voice and she and Nila ended up at a tall, gnarly tree at the same time. Flo puffed in a few seconds later. They all followed Bryony's finger, which was pointing upwards, to see Sunkern had, amazingly, managed to bolt up the tree. It was sat fairly high up and was quivering with fear.

"Sunkern is scared of heights," Bryony cried.

Then why did it climb up the tree then? Kaida decided not to voice her thoughts but, really, it was a pretty stupid Pokémon to do that. She blamed the trainer. Bryony did seem quite annoying so far, even if it was funny to see Flo riled up.

"Jump down," Nila told the Sunkern. "We'll catch you."

Sunkern only pressed itself harder against the trunk of the tree. Nope, it wasn't going to listen to reason then.

"How did it even get up there?" Kaida wondered, inspecting the trunk. There didn't seem to be any feasible way for them to climb up and get it down. "Do you have a ladder?" she asked Flo. When Flo shook her head, Kaida groaned. They were going to have to call the fire brigade or something.

Their problem was made worse a second later when, out of a hole in the trunk a few metres above Sunkern, a Noctowl stuck its head out. The bird Pokémon climbed onto the branch and several little Hoothoot poked their heads out after it. The Noctowl ushered them back in. It was a mother and children and the Noctowl did _not_ looked impressed at the commotion. It flapped its wings and soared towards Sunkern, who it did not want in its tree near its babies.

"Jump," Nila urged.

But Sunkern wouldn't. Despite the threat of an angry Noctowl, it still pressed itself up against the trunk and refused to move. Noctowl pecked it and Sunkern wailed but it still wouldn't jump.

"Sunkern!" Bryony said. Tears welled in her eyes.

Great, Kaida thought, now they had _another_ crier. It was bad enough listening to the Sunkern! She didn't want to have to put up with Bryony too! Noctowl pecked the small, grass Pokémon again and Sunkern's wailing became louder.

"Urgh," Nila said, wincing. She was equally annoyed by the sound. She backed off away from the tree so she had a better view of Sunkern. "Flo, Kaida, Bryony, get under the branch and get ready to catch it. Chikorita, get ready to use Razor Leaf on Sunkern."

"On Sunkern?" Bryony yelled. "What about on Noctowl?"

"I don't want to make it any angrier," Nila said. It was not a good idea to irritate a protective mother. "Besides, it wouldn't help getting Sunkern out of the tree, would it?"

Bryony continued to object but Nila ignore her, ordering Chikorita to fire away. The first leaf hit the tree but the second hit Sunkern in the side and the third followed to smack the Pokémon on the forehead. Sunkern toppled and plummeted towards the ground.

Flo yelped. Bryony screamed. Kaida glared at their horrible, high pitched noises.

The three all stretched their arms out and, to everyone's surprise, Flo was the one the one to catch it. She was as equally shocked as everyone else, which was shown when she promptly dropped the Sunkern. Sunkern started to cry as it hit the ground but a drop of a metre was highly preferable – and less damaging – than a drop of several metres from the branch above.

"Sunkern!" Bryony said, scooping the Pokémon up. "You're OK!" She rubbed its head gently as it continued to wail loudly. "Poor little Sunkern. I'm gonna give you lots of treats to make you better." Sunkern stopped the racket and sniffled hopefully. "There you go," Bryony cooed. "Come on, let's go get them."

She carried Sunkern off.

"Wait, she's gonna feed it all the nice food!" Flo realised. She chased after her cousin.

Nila and Kaida looked up at the tree. Noctowl preened its feathers and then flapped back to its nest. They then looked at each other and started to walk back to Flo's house very, very slowly. Thankfully, when they finally returned, Bryony and her Sunkern were long gone.


	8. Day 5

(DAY FIVE)

Twas the morning of Friday, when all through the house, not a human was stirring, not even John. Hoothoot, on the other hand, was wide awake, and currently poking her nose through Vera's jewellery box. She pushed aside rings and brooches until she found a long, shiny silver necklace, which she caught in her beak and dragged slowly out of the box. Then it was only a matter of flipping the lid to the box down with a talon and shoving the drawer closed with her head. The prize was hers...

John woke up promptly at 6.30 and got out of bed. He took a quick ten minute shower, got dressed, ate a wholesome bowl of muesli, and wrote a short note explaining his absence. He then set off at a brisk pace, his Totodile leaping excitedly behind him. Over one shoulder was his prized fishing rod. He was definitely going to land a big one.

The water was calm and still as John dipped the end of his fishing rod in. He returned Totodile to its Pokéball – he tended to cause a disturbance and scare off potential catches – and then looked back to the water. Fishing was peaceful. Although he normally preferred long walks over different terrains including forests and mountains, he also liked to sit down and be with nature as well sometimes.

Nothing was biting but John was patient. While he wasn't going to sit there all day, he knew these things took time.

"Hi," a voice said from behind him.

John looked around to see Gwen from the day before. She stood next to her Ponyta, whose fiery mane and tail were ruffled gently by the wind.

"I thought you were leaving," John said.

Gwen sat down next to him. "Yeah, later today. My mentor ran into a bit of trouble." She paused. "I mean, my mentor isn't in trouble. Someone else is. With the police. Long story." She shook her head. "I heard reports of a rogue Gyarados around here. Apparently it has been causing some trouble.""

John nodded, twitching his fishing rod a little to the left. "Well, I haven't seen anything."

A short silence fell between them.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said, "I thought Pokémon Rangers didn't like to use Pokéballs because they thought they were cruel." He pointed to her waist. "Yet, you have some there."

"Ponyta is my partner." This wasn't much of an explanation, so she clarified, "There are different types of Pokémon Ranger. Some are a little more extreme."

She pulled out the Pokémon Ranger device that was used to temporarily take control over Pokémon. It was an odd looking gadget and it was even odder to use.

"A lot of Rangers think capturing Pokémon is all right as long as you don't keep them in the Pokéballs. I have other Pokémon apart from Ponyta but I keep them on my Aunt's ranch in Kanto so that they aren't cramped up in Pokéballs."

"Oh, that makes sense," John said. "Because I thought that surely that device is worse than a Pokéball."

Gwen frowned. "How so?"

"You're controlling their _minds_. Their freedom is limited in a Pokéball but they keep their minds. They can disobey. Most trainers won't keep a Pokémon who is that resentful of being captured. I know the device is only temporary but in some ways it is worse than a Pokéball."

"It is only temporary," Gwen replied, "and we don't use it on a whim. We use it to protect people and Pokémon."

"What if the Pokémon you control gets hurt?" John asked.

"We make sure that doesn't happen," Gwen said.

"But what if it does?"

"It shouldn't," Gwen said. She sighed. "We try to do everything we can. We are taught not to use a Pokémon that shouldn't be able to handle the situation."

John absorbed her words. He reeled his line in and then threw it out again.

"Anyway," Gwen said, smiling again, "I didn't come here for philosophical conversation. I came here to say hello and goodbye." She paused. "And look for the Gyarados, obviously, but if it was that much of a problem then I'd probably have been it by now..."

John smiled at her. "You like to fish?"

Gwen wrinkled her nose. "Not really. A bit boring."

John smiled back at her. "Most people think that. But who knows? You could end up with something – argh!"

Gwen stood up, alarmed. Something was tugging on John's line and it was unravelling at an enormous speed. It had to be something huge! John tried to grab the handle to stop the line but couldn't. Then the end of the line came and the rod was being wrenched forwards. John clung on – and Gwen tried to help by pulling his arm and adding her weight to the equation – but it was no use. John eventually was forced to let ago and he and Gwen fell backwards onto a heap on the ground.

"My best fishing rod!" John exclaimed.

With an almighty roar a Gyarados leapt from the water, the line trailing from its mouth.

John gaped.

"A Gyarados just _ate _my fishing rod," he said. He was extremely put out.

Gwen looked like she was half horrified and half trying to constrain herself from bursting out laughing at the odd turn of events.

John sighed heavily. He stood up and offered Gwen a hand to help her up. This was not how he envisaged his day going. Eventually he conceded to a few small chuckles with Gwen, but he was still put out.

"You should take my number," Gwen said suddenly. "Then if your friend, Nila, gets any stronger, she can call me and I can beat her again."

"I'll tell her that word for word," John said, amused.

Nila wouldn't like that at all.

"Give me yours too. If we are ever in the same area again then we can meet up, OK?"

John obeyed, giving Gwen his number.

"Cool," Gwen said, snapping her phone shut and putting it away. "Anyway, I have to go. I mean actually leave this time. See you around."

"Bye," John said.

He watched her walk away; her graceful steps made her look as if she was floating beside her Ponyta. Then he turned back to the lake. Damn that Gyarados. Of course he had brought more fishing rods with him but that had been his favourite!

Just then, Gyarados leapt from the water again. John scrambled backwards just in time to avoid being crushed by its impressive weight or, worse, crunched by its sharp teeth. Gwen had heard John cry out and turned back around to see the Gyarados disappearing back into the lake. A few seconds later, a Gyarados appeared over by the other bank.

"Two of them in a lake this small," John said, breathing heavily. "So that's why it's angry."

Gwen rushed back to John's side. She put a hand on his back and checked he was OK before looking back at the water. "Two aggressive males," she said. "Great."

John asked, "How can you tell they're males?"

Gwen pointed out the differences between male and female Gyarados. One indicator was that the male had blue whiskers while the female had white. So, not only were they stuck together in the same, small lake, but they were probably feeling further antagonised by same gender competition.

One of the Gyarados leapt up near them and turned his great head towards them. He opened his mouth and John and Gwen started to back off. A second later, he fired a Dragon Rage. They dodged out of the way in the nick of time. The grass where they had been was badly scorched.

"There's no way Totodile or Hoothoot can face that thing," John said, his face a picture of concern.

Gwen held up her Pokémon Ranger device – the Capture Styler – and gave him a despairing look.

"This is what this is for," she told him. "I can calm and control wild Pokémon... Um... Well... I think I can calm and control these two."

"You think?" John queried. If she failed, he'd rather there wasn't a bloodbath.

"Well I've never tried to control two Pokémon as strong as this in one go before," Gwen admitted. At John's alarmed expression, she rushed to add, "But I'm sure I can. One hundred percent confident. Yep."

They were going to die, John thought. He was going to join his fishing rod in the stomach of a Gyarados.

"Maybe we should get help," John suggested.

Gwen, however, was stubborn; she refused to move. "I can do it!" she insisted.

John sighed. Well, he couldn't just _leave _her. "What are you going to do?"

Gwen bit her lip. "Well," she admitted, "I haven't quite figured that out yet..."

John looked around for inspiration. Failing that, he released Totodile and Hoothoot to help. He told them to stay away from the lake and went to look for the next stretch of water. They were in luck. Close to Union Cave there was another small lake.

"Totodile, go check there aren't any other Gyarados in there," he told the excitable Pokémon.

Totodile splashed into the lake. He disappeared from sight but, a few minutes later, he emerged from the centre of the lake. Quacking loudly, he sped back to the shore. He leapt out, shook himself so water flew all over John and an unimpressed Hoothoot, and then did a little dance.

"Nothing there?"

Totodile shook his head and then ran off to play on top of a branch. While he played, John pondered. They had found suitable water but it was still a long way to drag a Gyarados. They weren't exactly small. John turned back to Hoothoot, who was preening her wings, and then he looked to Totodile. Totodile was wobbling on top of a rounded branch, running as the branch spun under his feet. His position was precarious and, after another few seconds, he went flying off. He landed in a heap in a thick patch of grass, but his fall didn't deter him: he was soon up and back on the log. John tapped a finger against his chin. That might work...

He increased the length and speed of his strides to return to Gwen, who was struggling to contain one of the Gyarados with her Capture Stylus. Unfortunately, her concentration was always broken by the other Gyarados attacking the one she was controlling.

"Forget that," John urged. "We need to cut down some trees."

Gwen looked aghast. "Pokémon Rangers _protect_ nature."

"It's for a good cause," John insisted. "We need logs to put underneath one of the Gyarados so we can roll it along. There's water a couple of hundred metres that way. See, just around those trees."

"Oh," Gwen mumbled. "I guess that would work."

She released her tentative grip on the Gyarados and wielded her Capture Stylus towards the trees.

"Totodile," John ordered. "Go disturb something that can cut wood."

Totodile sped off into the undergrowth. He trampled around, causing several angry squawks, but he only managed to uproot a family of disgruntled Furret and Sentret. They scampered away, snapping crossly, and then there was silence. Totodile rustled some more, but nothing else flew out of the bushes or trees. John released an exasperated sigh: so much for that idea.

The first Gyarados fired a Dragon Rage at the other, who responded with a Hydro Pump.

"You know," John said suddenly, "It isn't that far between the two bits of water..." An idea was formulating in his head. "That Hydro Pump is pretty powerful..."

Gwen looked at him blankly. Her attention was quickly drawn back to the two fighting Gyarados when a blast of water narrowly missed her.

"It could use Hydro Pump to blast out a trench of water between them," John explained. Anticipating her problems with the plan, John hastily continued. "We can fill it in afterwards. Also, Totodile can distract the other Gyarados while we get the Hydro Pump going."

He was fairly confident that Totodile could be irritating – if not powerful – enough to get the attention of the large, raging Pokémon. Hoothoot could help. He'd just have to hope they were both quick and small enough to avoid the worst of Gyarados's wrath.

Gwen considered the idea, realised she couldn't come up with anything better, and agreed with a quick jerk of her head. She pushed her light brown hair behind her ears and held out her Pokémon Ranger gear again. The Capture Stylus whirred as she encircled the Gyarados that had used Hydro Pump with a shining loop. At the same time, John sent off Hoothoot and Totodile to pester the other Gyarados. The first Gyarados blasted Dragon Rage at them, but with Totodile nipping through the water and Hoothoot flying over head, Gyarados was being cleverly and effectively double-teamed.

"Hydro Pump!" Gwen commanded.

The Gyarados that she was controlling opened his mouth and expelled a powerful shot of water that tore up the earth leading from the lake. Lake water spilled into it and Gwen tugged her Ranger device so the Gyarados began to swim up the shallow channel. He fired again, the groove in the ground getting longer and closer towards the other lake. Gyarados was having some difficulties – as the water was so shallow – but he was more willing to travel through that than over dry land, which made Gwen's job infinitely easier. However, after the third Hydro Pump, it became clear that it wasn't easy enough.

Gwen had a bead of perspiration shining on her temple and her teeth were gritted together, clearly showing the strain of controlling the powerful Pokémon. She was young and inexperienced and had even admitted it herself: she had not controlled a Pokémon this powerful before. John looked between Gwen and his own Pokémon, still harassing the first Gyarados, and made his decision. He just hoped the first Gyarados wouldn't try to follow the second one.

"Totodile, come here, help out!"

Totodile was incredibly weak compared to the Gyarados, and he only had Water Gun in his arsenal, but he could help fill the trench a little, leading to a slightly decrease in Gyarados's rage. It wasn't good enough: Gwen let out a small grunt before the shining loop snapped. She toppled over backwards, and John only just managed to catch her before she hit the ground. He steadied her and pushed her back to her feet. They both turned to face the furious Gyarados.

"Get down!" John yelled, unnecessarily, as he shoved Gwen back down. A Hyper Beam soared over their heads. "Crazy Croconaw on a stick!"

"No, that's good!" Gwen breathed. She pushed John away from her as she held up her device again. "Hyper Beam is so powerful that it leaves them immobile for a bit."

She whipped her Ranger device again, moving the Capture Stylus with nimble fingers, and sent the loop spinning back around the Gyarados, putting him under her control once more. She hissed triumphantly.

"Come on," she muttered.

Gyarados recuperated and sent another Hydro Pump at the ground. They were nearing the other lake now and only one more fearsome blast of water would do it. Gyarados used the attack for the final time, only for it to fall short and leave several metres between the trench and Gyarados's new home.

"I don't think he can use it again!" Gwen panicked. "He's too tired!"

"That must make him easier to control?" John queried.

Gwen's eyes bulged. "Um, not really!"

John swore. Well, there were only a few metres left. Gyarados could just jump over them! He voiced this to Gwen, who attempted to move Gyarados in a wild flicking motion.

"He's not moving!" she yelled.

John swore again. Gwen yelped as the loop snapped again, leaving Gyarados with free will again. He turned his monstrous head in their direction and opened his mouth. He lunged at them, his teeth gleaming with what seemed to be an Ice Fang attack, and they both staggered backwards. Gyarados's head thumped in the ground. He pulled his upper body back into the trench and reared back again, which gave John an idea. He ran to stand next to the lake and started to wave his arms about.

"Over here!"

Gyarados had been fixated on Gwen, but his attention snapped to John. He lunged at John, who waited until the last second to throw himself out of the way. He landed heavily in the mud, slipping when as he tried to stand up. Great. If Gyarados attacked him again then he was doomed.

"Dile, dile!"

John raised his head to see Totodile splashing in the water of the lake. He waved his tail and sent an impudent Water Gun attack in Gyarados's direction. Gyarados, whose head had been hovering over John while his body remained in the trench, roared with rage at the tiny water Pokémon. He lifted himself back up and threw himself into the lake. Totodile quacked triumphantly. This was replaced by a startled squawk as Totodile scampered out of the way of the angered giant. He returned next to John on the bank and they both backed away from the water. John just hoped Gyarados didn't jump back into the trench to get close to them or it would undo all of their hard work. He watched the furious Pokémon carefully, but Gyarados just narrowed his eyes and sank steadily into the deep water. John breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was over.

"Now to fill in the trench," Gwen said, her tone suggesting she was reluctant to move.

John pushed himself up. Right. They had that to do first. All he had wanted was a peaceful time fishing; instead, he was covered in mud and had to push piles of earth back into a long trench of water. Fantastic. He glanced at Gwen, who was just as dirty and tired, but she also looked extremely satisfied with their success. OK then, he admitted to himself, it hadn't been a _complete_ failure of a morning.

* * *

South of Violet City was the long route towards Azalea town. Nila left Flo polishing her Pokémon egg in the kitchen, telling her only that she would be back later. Chikorita walked along beside Nila and she found herself striking up a conversation with her Pokémon.

"You're going to practise your Synthesis," she said conversationally. "You're pretty good already though." She paused. "We also need to look for another Pokémon."

Chikorita went from looking smug because she had learnt a new move to being affronted that Nila needed another Pokémon.

"A lot of Pokémon battles are two on two," Nila said. "Besides, we need a team."

Chikorita didn't look happy, but she was appeased for the time being.

"So we're looking for Mareep," Nila explained. "That's the little electric sheep."

The Pokédex had informed Nila that Mareep could be found around this area and it was fairly common. They apparently liked to graze on the higher land so Nila and Chikorita went up the slopes in search of the small, yellow Pokémon.

The sun grew hot as Nila climbed further up the grassy slopes. It was becoming rockier too. Chikorita darted along quite merrily, flourishing under the warm sun. So far they had caught no sign of the elusive Mareep, despite the Pokédex claiming that there were many in the area. Nila tapped it on the side.

"You need an update," she told it.

Then suddenly Chikorita sprung away and Nila broke into a run and chased after her. Chikorita had seen something that Nila had not. Now, as she sprinted, Nila could see what they were pursuing. The little yellow blob bobbed nimbly ahead, occasionally turning to see if they were behind it. Nila was extremely glad that she was fairly active otherwise she probably would have collapsed. The thing was _fast_. Nimble and agile, it darted up the slope and around sliding rocks and dust with ease.

Then, suddenly, the Mareep disappeared. Chikorita looked around in confusion but had lost track of the Pokémon. Nila sighed in disappointment. She sat on the largest rock available to get her breath back.

"That thing was evil," Nila said. "It led us up here on purpose."

Chikorita agreed.

"We have to get it," Nila said. "That Mareep would be perfect for our team."

Chikorita continued to agree. She had warmed up to the idea of a partner now that said partner would apparently be intelligent and devious to match.

Nila opened her bag and found some food for Chikorita. She fed her Pokémon while she kept a careful eye on their surroundings. Yes. There it was. The Mareep was staring at them again.

"Hmm, so much food, Chikorita," Nila said loudly. "It is too much for us! And I don't want to carry it down the hill again. It will be ruined. It's so hot." She sighed theatrically. "If only there was someone to share it with."

The Mareep wasn't stupid. It didn't emerge yet. Nila put her hands by her sides – not a Pokéball in sight – and then reached towards the food. She threw it away. Fortunately, Chikorita seemed to realise that Nila was up to something and didn't chase after it and eat it. After a while Nila saw the Mareep poke its head out from behind a tuft of grass cautiously. It sniffed the air and looked towards the food. It was definitely interested.

"Guess we better go then," Nila said.

She patted Chikorita's head and they both stood up. Yes, she was interested in this Mareep. The Mareep was equally interested in them. Excellent. They walked along the slope and a few minutes later, presumably after the Mareep had eaten the food, they saw another flash of yellow. When they didn't follow immediately, the flash came closer.

Mareep wanted them to follow. It liked them chasing it. It found it amusing.

"Up for another run then, Chikorita?" Nila said.

This Mareep was going to be worth it. She just needed to tell herself that. She felt herself tire as the slope became steeper and steeper but she didn't give up. The terrain became more difficult too and Nila puffed as she climbed higher. A lot of the ground was loose and gravelly and, as she followed Mareep over a small ridge, she slipped.

She fell a considerable length, skidding down a short dip in the landscape in a cloud of dust. She felt a sharp pain stab at her ankle and saw it briefly – and impossibly – at almost right angles to her leg. She coughed and spluttered and waved her hand in front of her to try and clear the dust. Something bumped into her from behind. Chikorita had chased after her.

Nila was afraid that she might have hurt her ankle – twisted, even broken it – but when she stood up it seemed to be fine. At first she felt a little lightheaded and wobbly and then, abruptly, she fell over. Shaking her head, disorientated, she stood up and tried again. She stumbled several times before falling backwards again. She decided that it would be best if she stayed down for a minute or two so she could rest. Maybe it had been the adrenaline making her head woozy. She didn't know for sure.

She could feel Chikorita's nervous presence at her side.

"I'm fine," she told her Chikorita. "I just need to lie down for a minute. Then I need to drink some water. We can go again after that."

Chikorita did not seem best pleased. She looked much more relieved when Nila sat up, drank some water, and stood up again. There was no pain or discomfort in her ankle at all. Perhaps she had imagined the funny angle. That was most likely. She also felt much better as she walked. It didn't seem like she was going to fall over again.

The Mareep appeared to be gone. Nila sighed. Great. There was a strong possibility that it had seen the ridiculous fall and had scampered away laughing. It was a bit embarrassing. Perhaps she had lost the tentative respect she had thought she had gained from the Mareep? She hoped not, but since she couldn't see it anymore, this was likely true.

Then there was another flash of yellow and the Mareep reappeared before them. Nila breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't gone. Still, she wasn't sure if she was up to much running. She didn't _think _her ankle was hurt but it probably wasn't a good idea to push it anymore.

Abruptly, Mareep used Thundershock.

"Dodge!" Nila said, jumping out of the way.

Chikorita darted in the other direction. She landed on her feet and, a second later, Mareep slammed into it. That wasn't an ordinary tackle. That wasn't slam either. That was Body Slam, according to the Pokédex, and according to the research that Nila had done, when deciding she was going to capture Mareep, this was an egg move. One of its parents must have learnt it somehow.

Mareep started to glow. It was using Charge now, readying itself to power its next electrical attack. This Mareep was _powerful._

"Use the time that it is charging to use Synthesis," Nila ordered.

Chikorita was tired from running and she had been hit with a powerful Body Slam. Synthesis could do a lot of good for her.

"Be ready to dodge," Nila continued. "Its next move will be powerful."

The Thundershock was a lot more powerful. The rocks on the ground were charred from its force.

"Razor Leaf!" Nila ordered.

Chikorita sent a fast volley of sharp leaves. Mareep crackled with electricity as it was hit and recoiled harshly. It had done some quite serious damage. Chikorita was getting a lot more powerful too.

"Be careful to avoid physical contact," Nila reminded Chikorita. "Its coat is static after it uses electric moves. It could hurt a lot."

Chikorita nodded and leapt out of the way of the next Body Slam in the nick of time. Mareep skidded across several lose pebbles and then kick up some of the sand, hoping to blind Chikorita temporarily. Chikorita hid behind a clump of dry glass, which shielded her from the worst of the attack.

"Razor Leaf again!" Nila called.

Chikorita leapt out from behind the dried grass to send sharp leaves flying into Mareep. Mareep responded with a Thundershock that hit the mark this time. It wasn't amazingly effective, Chikorita was a grass Pokémon after all, but some damage was done.

"Keep going, Chikorita."

More grass leaves were flying from Chikorita into the Mareep. The Mareep was now moving a bit more shakily. It had to be time. Nila pulled out a Pokéball and threw it towards the electric Pokémon. It was drawn inside the ball and the ball began to roll and flash. Finally, however, it stopped. Mareep had been caught.

"Great job," Nila said to Chikorita.

Chikorita gave her a look that wondered why Nila would have expected anything but that. Chikorita then followed Nila as she went to pick up the Pokéball. The trek had been worth it, Nila decided. This Mareep was powerful. It would be a good addition to the team and extremely useful.

"Come on then," Nila said to Chikorita. She peered down the steep slope. "We better get going. It is a _long_ way down."

It did take a long time to get to the bottom of the hill, but it wasn't too far to Violet City after that. It was a pleasant enough day so Nila and Chikorita could enjoy the sun as they strolled. They were almost at Violet City when they stumbled across another person. It was a woman with dark hair, scraped back by a hair band, and an outfit that was entirely red. Nila blinked several times at one of the least inconspicuous people she had ever seen.

"Hallo," the young woman said. "I'm Frieda."

"Nila," Nila said warily, wondering if the woman wanted to battle. She would be surprised if the woman had any Pokémon: catching them had to be difficult if you wore clothes like a warning beacon.

"Here, have this!" The woman thrust a strange object towards Nila.

Nila raised her eyebrows. "No thanks?"

"It's fine," Frieda said. "It's a Poison Barb. It helps poison type moves with Pokémon."

"I don't have a poison Pokémon," Nila told her.

Frieda forced the Poison Barb into Nila's hand and shrugged. "That doesn't matter. See you."

Nila stared after her. Chikorita looked equally confused. Why were some people such creepy weirdos? Nila looked down at the Poison Barb and wondered whether to chuck it. It looked legitimate. She sighed and shoved it in her backpack; perhaps Kaida would want it for Gastly. If not, there was always Flo's Bellsprout, even if she'd never seen him perform any moves at all, let alone poison type ones. Eh, Nila thought, she could figure it out later... It could definitely wait until she'd washed her hand: who knew what that crazy woman had touched?

* * *

Kaida stretched as she awoke from her long sleep. Being set on fire and almost drowned in the course of five minutes really wasn't a good thing to do. It had not been a fun trip in the caves. She moved her hand to find Cyndaquil curled up next to her, snoozing peacefully in the sunlight pouring through the window.

"Urgh what time is it?" she mused

She rolled onto her side to read the bedside clock. 8:30am. She also noticed Nila wasn't in her bed and the shower wasn't running.

"This is odd and quite unsettling," Kaida thought aloud.

Cyndaquil sat up from his position and stared intently at Kaida.

"I suppose you want some breakfast then?"

"Cyndaquil. 'Quil," he squeaked happily, bouncing up and down on the mattress.

"Come on then."

Kaida pulled off the Bulbasaur covers and swung her legs down onto the cold wooden floor.

"Cold!" she yelped, withdrawing her feet quickly.

Cyndaquil puffed up at her words ready to warm the floor with a blast of his Ember.

"No, no, no, sweetie," Kaida cooed. "We shouldn't set fire to Flo's, um, _lovely_ house and its, er, well, unusual decorating."

She eyed the Goldeen rug with disgust. Her true enemy. Water Pokémon.

After a quick change into her three quarter length jeans, plain black t-shirt, and her Magmar socks, Kaida rushed downstairs with Cyndaquil balancing on the top of her head. Flo looked up to the sound of her crashing footsteps.

"Where is everyone?" Kaida asked, puzzled.

She placed Cyndaquil on the kitchen table next to Flo's egg. He sniffed it, decided it didn't look like a hearty meal, and he turned back to Kaida who was pouring 'Pokémon Chow' into its personalised bowl. Nila had bought the bowl for her twelfth birthday, in anticipation of her selecting Cyndaquil when the summer holidays, many months later, finally arrived. It was black with flames along the side. A perfect bowl, Kaida had thought.

"John went off at six this morning according to a note I found when I got down here. Apparently," Flo recited, looking at the paper in her hand, "that adventure yesterday wasn't enough so he's gone fishing this morning and then says he's going back to the cave afterwards."

Kaida placed the bowl down. Cyndaquil bounded over and started to gobble up the contents of the bowl. Kaida chuckled and reached for one of the spare, boring bowls on the side for Gastly.

"And Nila has gone off somewhere," Flo continued. "She said that she would be back later. So I guess it's just you and me today. Do you want some bacon and eggs?" she asked, smiling as she shuffled over to the stove.

"Er, yeah, please," Kaida said, sighing.

In her mind, however, she was thinking if Flo got her soaked again then she may just murder someone. She placed the other bowl on the table as Flo put down the plate of eggs and bacon at a seat in front of Cyndaquil, who eyed the plated excitedly.

"Come on, Gastly. Out you come."

Kaida threw the Pokéball and flopped into a chair as Gastly appeared in a flash of light.

"Eat up!"

She pointed to the bowl on the table. Gastly looked delighted and used his tongue to scoop up the bowl.

"Don't swallow the bowl. It's not healthy," Kaida reprimanded as she took a huge bite of bacon.

"Gast', Gast'," he replied, shocked.

"Cynda, Cyndaquil," Cyndaquil argued to Flo and Kaida's surprise.

Gastly spat out the bowl, sending it flying across the room where it hit Bellsprout, who was practicing his dancing.

"No! Bellsprout!" Flo screamed, jumping off her chair and gathering the concussed Pokémon into her arms.

"Wow, nice shot," Kaida laughed. She couldn't help it... It was funny!

"Gastly, Gaaaaast." the creature grinned.

Kaida felt so proud of both her Pokémon in that moment: both were talking to each other and Gastly was cute and powerful, while Cyndaquil was cute and... he was eating her breakfast.

"CYNDAQUIL!"

When Flo decided Bellsprout was going to be OK – it just needed some rest – she whirled on Kaida. "I wanted to go meet my friends today and show off my Bellsprout," she wailed. "You have to come with me and explain!"

This was how Kaida ended up meeting Flo's friends.

Kaida was fairly sure that, if she showed her fear, they would descend on her like a pack of rabid Mightyena. Why, oh why, had she agreed to meet some of Flo's friends? By the looks of things, Flo was the sanest of the bunch. She was currently listening to a girl, who was dressed in a glittery pink tutu and leotard, explain how her father travelled out to western Johto to participate in Tauros bucking contests, where the object was to stay on an angry Tauros for as long as possible. Kaida wasn't sure why people would do this – or why people would wear such hideous clothes – so she tried to remain as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.

Flo's friends all seemed to have Bellsprout, too, and they dressed them up in equally hideous outfits. There was a Bellsprout in a metallic purple beret, another with long, gold chains draped around its neck, and even one in a waistcoat with perfectly polished buttons. Kaida put a hand protectively over Cyndaquil. No one was getting her Pokémon into a horrible pinstriped waistcoat!

"It would look gorgeous with accessories," a girl named Rhoda mused. She bent over Cyndaquil, who stared back up at her warily. "Maybe some flowers."

Kaida blanched. "Flowers?" she exclaimed. "It's a fire Pokémon!"

"So, it would be cute!" Rhoda squealed. She tickled Cyndaquil under the chin. "That's right, you'd be a cutie with flowers on."

Kaida snatched Cyndaquil out of the reach of the insane flower child. She cuddled him to her chest protectively. "Put flowers on your own Pokémon," she said in a surly voice.

Rhoda backed off, looking offended. Kaida couldn't find the will to care. They were a bunch of crazy people: what they thought of her didn't really bother her. She just didn't want Cyndaquil victimised – no, _traumatised _– by their awful taste in fashion.

Soon Flo and her friends turned from Pokémon fashion to human fashion.

"I saw Kate the other day." Rhoda sneered. "She needs to wear a paper bag over her head. She wears, like, no make-up at all."

Kaida touched her own face. She didn't wear make-up. She was only twelve! She knew some people her age did, but still, it was a little odd to be condemned for not wearing it.

"And her fashion sense is, just, _eurgh. _Blue jeans and a white top! She has no imagination at all!"

"Totally, she needs more sparkles!"

Kaida was fairly certain that these girls should be banned from sparkles. She could feel her brain slowly melting from all the stupid, especially as the conversation slowly switched to boys, which disturbed Kaida even more.

"He's such a hottie," a girl named Sally cooed. "I'd do him in an instant!"

Kaida blinked in horror. "You're _eleven_," she hissed, flabbergasted.

The girl stuck her bottom lip out. "So?"

"I have to get out of here," Kaida muttered to herself and Cyndaquil. She looked around for an escape route. She was surrounded on all sides by Flo's evil, crazy friends.

"I don't get you," Flo said to Sally, restoring Kaida's faith in her a little. This was squashed when Flo followed it by saying, "He's not attractive at all. Not like Falkner."

They all let out girlish giggles that caused Kaida to wince. Her ears weren't used to such high pitched noises! All Kaida could hear after the initial squeal was snatches of their excitable chatter through squeaks and giggles.

"So stoic..." "...mysterious..." "...cute hair..." "...young..." "...tall and handsome..." "... nice socks..."

Kaida began to inch away from the group. She wasn't sure how much more she could take without asking Cyndaquil to burn her alive. It would be an extremely unpleasant death, but Flo's friends were probably more agonising. Thankfully, a hole appeared in the group and she managed to slip away, and once she was free, she ran without looking back. She made it back to Flo's house and found that Nila and John had not returned. Deciding it was unsafe to stay at Flo's house, in case Flo and her friends visited there, Kaida decided to go for a wander. Perhaps she could find some wild Pokémon so that Cyndaquil and Gastly could do some training. Otherwise, she could go check out if there were any sales at Violet City's Mart.

And so Kaida walked along, minding her own business, when, abruptly, a strange ghostly Pokémon appeared in front of her. It was a dark blue with pink tips and it looked at her for a second before its eyes flashed and Kaida felt a wave of dizziness rush over her. She stumbled from one side to the other, trying desperately to stay on wavering feet. She collapsed onto her knees and almost face planted into the ground. But then the dizziness seemed to lift a little and things became clearer.

She looked around and saw Cyndaquil. It was staring at her, unblinkingly, and she rushed towards it. Had this Pokémon – Misdreavus – hurt it? She patted Cyndaquil all over. It seemed to be fine.

"Well that's a relief," she said.

Cyndaquil still wasn't moving.

"Cyndaquil? Are you OK?"

Now she was beginning to get concerned as she picked Cyndaquil up. She needed to go to the Pokémon Centre because Cyndaquil definitely had to be checked out. She couldn't let anything bad happen to her poor Pokémon. She knew vaguely where the Pokémon Centre was and, ignoring her light-headedness, she began to stumble in that direction.

However, when she reached the Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy was extremely unhelpful, telling her that she should sit down while she went to get a doctor after Kaida insisted the nurse take a look at Cyndaquil. She left without explanation. Now Kaida was terrified. Did Cyndaquil have some terrible illness? Was Cyndaquil going to be all right? She didn't think she could rest until she knew. She hoped the doctor would get there soon to answer her questions.

"Hey."

Kaida looked up to see Flo entering the Pokémon Centre. The girl had her hands on her hips and looked extremely disgruntled.

"You left me!" Flo cried.

"Um," Kaida said shiftily. "I needed the toilet?"

Flo glared, but she didn't challenge Kaida's word. Instead, she looked to Kaida's lap. "Um, why are you holding that?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Because Cyndaquil is hurt," Kaida replied.

"Really? How?" Flo asked, concerned. Then, strangely, she asked, "Where is Cyndaquil? Does Nurse Joy have him?"

Kaida frowned. What was wrong with Flo, other than the obvious? Cyndaquil was right on her lap.

"Right here," she said, petting Cyndaquil, who remained motionless. "It's OK, Cyndaquil. Don't worry. Nurse Joy went to get a doctor. It's going to be all right."

"I don't think that doctor was for Cyndaquil," Flo said, her eyebrows raised.

"Well who would it be for?" Kaida asked, beginning to get irritated with Flo's behaviour. She was distracted by thoughts of her poor, injured Cyndaquil and she began to worry aloud. "I hope Cyndaquil isn't too badly hurt."

Flo walked over to the Pokémon nurse at the counter and pointed over at Kaida. "What's wrong with her?" Flo asked bluntly. "She's talking to a rock. Does she have a mental disease?"

"I'm not sure," Nurse Joy said. "I did check her head and there is no visible sign of concussion. Ah, look, the doctor is over there now."

Flo saw a tall man in a suit examining Kaida's head. Kaida didn't even seem to notice he was there. She continued to chatter away to her 'Cyndaquil,' reassuring it that everything was going to be OK. The doctor even tilted her head up and shone a light in her eyes and she still continued to talk as if nothing was happening.

The doctor returned.

"It seems you were correct," he said, addressing the nurse. "She's just been hit by a stray Confuse Ray or Confusion. It seems to be harmless. It will soon wear off. She just needs someone to keep an eye on her so she doesn't hurt herself for the time being."

"Oh," Flo said cheerfully, "I'm her friend. I can do that."

Now Flo knew that Kaida wasn't homicidally crazy or hurt, her condition had become extremely amusing. Flo giggled to herself as she bundled Kaida out of the Pokémon Centre a few minutes later with the strict instructions not to let Kaida out of their sight. Flo certainly wouldn't do that: she was too busy recording Kaida on her phone.

"And aren't you just the cutest little thing in the world," Kaida cooed at the jagged, dirty rock that was the rough size of a Cyndaquil. She began to rock it back and forth in her arms and then, in a move that caused almost intolerable hysteria Flo, she started to sing a lullaby.

Flo was laughing so hard that she could scarcely keep the phone from shaking. She also didn't notice Kaida walking straight into someone until she heard an 'oof'. Kaida had run into a black haired boy with a red and white striped top and a Misdreavus hovering behind him. He eyed Kaida oddly as she continued to sing.

"Rock-a-bye Cynda, on the stove top… Rock-a-bye Cynda, where it's nice and hot…"

"Um, is she OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's fine," Flo said. She saw the boy was actually rather attractive so she fluttered her eyelashes a little. "She's just been hit by a Confuse Ray or something. She'll be back to normal soon. She thinks that her rock is a Cyndaquil."

The boy paled.

"But it isn't a Cyndaquil," Flo said loudly to Kaida, to absolutely no effect.

She reached for Kaida's waist and pulled the Pokéball containing Cyndaquil. She released it and watched – and filmed – as Cyndaquil looked around in some confusion before his eyes settled on Kaida hugging the rock.

"Aw, Cyndaquil!" Kaida said to the rock. "You're so cute!"

The real Cyndaquil head butted Kaida's leg. When Kaida continued cooing at the rock it grew a little more frantic and hit her again. Then it attempted to climb up her leg. Kaida didn't seem to realise that it was there.

"This is all my fault," the boy said suddenly.

Flo fluttered her eyelashes some more. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

The boy gestured to his Misdreavus. "It just learned Confuse Ray and it ran off a little while ago… It's a new Pokémon and I haven't got it completely under control yet… I'm so sorry." He frowned. "Um, do you have something in your eye?"

Flo ceased the eye fluttering immediately. Obviously it didn't quite look right. She'd have to practise more in the mirror when she got back home. Until then she'd just have to flirt with this good-looking stranger in more subtle ways. She licked her lips at him instead, which caused him to shrink back slightly.

"No," Flo said, "I'm fine. And, your Misdreavus did it?" She looked warily at the Pokémon behind the boy. The last thing she wanted was for the ghost Pokémon to do the same thing to her. That would be a horrible first impression. "Is it dangerous?"

"I'm really, really sorry," the boy apologised. His brown eyes were round and genuine. He looked even cuter!

"You can tell her later," Flo said, patting him consolingly on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"I will," the boy said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Flo simpered. "I'll explain everything to her!" She stroked his arm some more to make him feel better, but he seemed to be so ashamed that he wriggled away.

"Cyndaquil," Kaida said. "You feel funny… You're very heavy. What has Nila been sneaking you?"

She looked at the rock confusedly. She blinked several times. She looked over at Flo.

"Does Cyndaquil look funny to you?"

Flo tried to hold back her laughter.

"Flo?" Kaida asked.

"No, no, it looks _exactly _the same." Flo didn't want Kaida getting upset!

"You look… brown?" Kaida said. She cocked her head to one side. "And… Argh!" Kaida yelped and dropped the rock. Cyndaquil, who was butting her leg, jumped out of the way in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding being squashed.

"That's not Cyndaquil!" Kaida said, shocked. "What…?"

She looked up and spotted Misdreavus hovering behind the strange boy's shoulder.

"Aah! That's it! What did it do to me?"

"I'm _really_ sorry," the boy said. "It used Confuse Ray on you. I didn't mean for it to happen. I promise I will keep a _much _closer eye on it from now on. Look, can I make it up to you? Umm, would you like me to buy you a milkshake or something?"

Kaida blinked. "Um, yes?"

_What? _Flo was outraged, at first. Kaida was running off with the cute guy that _she _had seen first. However, she soon changed her mind. She could let Kaida have the guy, just this once. She wouldn't get in the way of their love. Plus, that way she could be known as a matchmaker and Kaida would forever be in her debt! She looked at Kaida encouragingly.

"Go on," she urged. "I'll see you back at my house later."

Kaida nodded absentmindedly. She turned to the boy and asked for an explanation. He explained his trouble with his new Pokémon – he'd never had such an unruly and disobedient Pokémon before – and apologised once again. It was only when they reached the milkshake shop that the boy stopped outside the door as he came to a realisation.

"I just realised," he said. "You don't know my name. I'm Matt."

"Kaida," Kaida said.

In the milkshake place you could order pretty much any flavour conceivable. Kaida mused over her choices and eventually settled on an extra large double chocolate.

"There is no way you'll be able to finish that," Matt said.

"Wanna bet?" Kaida asked.

It was _chocolate_. Yummy.

Despite his doubts, Matt ordered it for her anyway. He got a large mint milkshake and they found a table near the back where it was quieter. Kaida sat down in front of him and got her first chance to study him. He was taller than her – not that this was a difficult feat – and maybe a little bit older. His black hair was swept across his face and his skin was a pale contrast. She flushed slightly. He was…

She cleared her throat and took a long sip of her milkshake.

"There is _no way_ you can drink all of that," Matt repeated.

"I can," Kaida insisted. "I have before."

Matt shook his head. "I'm afraid that I'll have to see it to believe it."

Kaida took another determined slurp. She would definitely prove him wrong.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Thirteen. You?"

"Twelve."

"So you just got your first Pokémon?"

"Yeah, Cyndaquil."

At this, Kaida blushed. He had seen her acting so ridiculously. She had thought a _rock _was Cyndaquil. Oh _damn, _she had sung a lullaby to a _rock_ and he had heard! It was awful! She couldn't sing! And even if she could it would have still been mortifying. She wanted to sink into a hole in the ground…

"Again, I'm _so _sorry about Misdreavus," Matt said. "I'm really embarrassed."

"But, why?" Kaida blurted.

Matt shifted awkwardly. "Well, I've been a trainer for a year. I even got quite a few badges last year, before I had to stop. Yet I'm clearly still _completely_ incompetent. Letting Misdreavus do stuff like that…"

"It wasn't your fault," Kaida said generously. Generously and honestly. "You said that Misdreavus was a new Pokémon. You just haven't had a chance to train it properly."

"Well you only just got your Cyndaquil and it seems to adore you," Matt muttered. He shook his head. "Sorry. I shouldn't be bitter. I have loads of well behaved Pokémon. I should be grateful that Misdreavus is the first to act out this way. Some people have _much _worse problems."

"Wow," Kaida said. "You have lots of Pokémon? Which ones?"

"Well, I have a Murkrow but it's at home at the moment," Matt replied. "I also have Furrett and Ariados and Growlithe–"

"You have Growlithe?" Kaida said, excited. Then she blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine," Matt assured her, smiling. "You like Growlithe?"

"I _love _fire Pokémon," Kaida said, patting the Cyndaquil resting on her lap. "I want to catch every fire Pokémon in the world. I could be a fire Pokémon gym leader. I don't know! I just love fire Pokémon."

"Well, we can go outside and you can see my Growlithe."

"Really?" Kaida beamed. "That would be _great_."

She stood up. She was ready to abandon any milkshake – no matter how delicious – for a glimpse of a fire Pokémon.

"Aha," Matt teased. "I knew you couldn't finish it."

Spurred on, Kaida put her mouth over the straw and sucked furiously. A few seconds later and she pulled back.

"All gone," she said, grinning wildly.

"No way," Matt said.

His eyes widened. He peered over the enormous glass and saw she was telling the truth. The milkshake was all gone.

"You," he said, "are a bottomless pit. How are you so small?"

Kaida shrugged. "Dunno. Can I see the fire Pokémon now?"

Matt laughed. "Sure."

His Growlithe was _gorgeous_. Kaida wanted to run her hands over its fur and pet it and brush it and hug it. It was amazing.

"So, you fancy a little battle then?" Matt asked. "All friendly, of course, because I've actually got a battle with Falkner later and I can't have tired Pokémon."

"Yeah!" Kaida agreed.

It was clear that Growlithe far outclassed her Cyndaquil but it was definitely some good training. Besides, it was fun, and she got to admire Matt. He was a great trainer. In the space of a year she could only hope to become as good as he was.

"You're good already," he complimented. "You're so in tune with your Cyndaquil."

Kaida both smiled and blushed at the praise. When they finished, as Matt said he needed to go to the gym for his battle, she couldn't keep the grin from her face as she walked back to Flo's. She replayed the morning in her head. It had been amazing. She practically floated around the Mart as she browsed Potions and Antidotes and different Pokéballs.

It was only when she reached Flo's house that she realised that Matt was now gone and she didn't even have his number. The happy smile slipped from her face in an instant. She would probably never see him again.

"So," a chirpy voice said, "how did your little date go?"

It was Flo, looking supremely smug, perched outside her house by the low fence.

"It wasn't a date!" Kaida hoped fervently that her cheeks weren't stained a bright red.

Flo beamed at her. It was unsettling.

Kaida coughed. "Um, so what do you want to do now?" She just prayed that Flo wouldn't suggest meeting up with her friends again. She didn't think she should take much more than that. "Maybe go look for some Pokémon?"

Flo clapped her hands together. "Oo. I did want some new Pokémon! Let's go look for those!"

Kaida's expression was of utter relief. "Thank Lugia for that," she murmured.

Considering that it was her fault that Flo's Bellsprout was out of action, she felt it was her duty to help her catch at least one decent Pokémon. They had decided to try their luck on Route 36. As they wandered through the town, Flo tried to teach Kaida about berries and their various forms, and then how she would create Poffins with them so that her Pokémon would increase in beauty and coolness so that she could win contests all over the regions. Kaida had turned off by this point. She found contests very boring and pointless. Pokémon battles were another story. She drifted off into a daydream of her ultimate fire team crushing anyone that called her puny. She was brought back to reality, however, when Flo poked her in the ribs.

"What do you aim to be then, while I become contest queen?"

Flo twirled on the spot as if to show she already had the moves to become a queen.

"Well." Kaida grinned as she thought of her future plans. "I want to be the ultimate fire Pokémon trainer, have my own gym, and crush anyone who dares to challenge me."

"Sounds about right," Flo chuckled. Having witnessed Kaida cooing over Cyndaquil for the last few days, she wasn't surprised. "So what's your dream Pokémon?"

"You want me to choose?" Kaida looked overwhelmed. "There are so many!"

"OK. Name a few of your favourites then."

"Well, Cyndaquil of course," Kaida began.

The creature at her feet chirped delightedly.

"Typhlosion is also amazing, as are Rapidash and Flareon. Flareon… It's so cute and fluffy!" Kaida imitated cuddling it before she was coughed at to move on by Flo. "Erm yeah," Kaida continued. "Well, Magmar is another and, of course, Arcanine and Ninetales..."

"Have you seen any of these apart from Cyndaquil?" Flo raised an eyebrow patronisingly.

"Yes," Kaida growled, annoyed. "My mum owns most of them. She's a great fire Pokémon trainer (don't you know this?) and, besides, I met that Ponyta yesterday and Growlithe today!"

She held her head high in success, which both Cyndaquil, and Gastly, who was floating next to her, tried to copy.

"Who had the Growlithe?" Flo questioned.

"Oh, erm, just a guy," Kaida said, trying to avoid the inevitable.

"Oh, I see, your boyfriend then."

Flo smirked at the look of horror that had flashed across Kaida's face. She knew exactly who Kaida was talking about – who else could it be?

"_Matt is not my boyfriend!_" Kaida squealed, flapping her arms up and down like she was trying to fly.

Flo giggled again. This giggle was directed half at Kaida and half at Cyndaquil who had been trying to copy her and ended up tripping over a rock out of enthusiasm.

"All right, no need to go all Pidgey on me," Flo said. "Even if you don't say it, doesn't make it not true."

"What won't I say?"

Kaida glared at her, knowing what was coming.

"You love him," Flo chirped.

"I do _not_!" Kaida looked at the floor. "We are just _friends_."

If you could even call them that, Kaida thought sadly. They were more like acquaintances. They had only met once.

"Ah, denial." Flo sang, "Kaida and Matty, sitting up a tree..."

"Oh my god, I'm going to kill her," Kaida whispered to Gastly, who grinned at the thought of that.

After a few minutes of repeating the song, Flo was cut short by something bumping into the back of her head. As Kaida and her Pokémon where ahead of her, she didn't understand what had hit her. She turned around to be confronted by a large, pink face.

"Hooooppip," the face said simply.

"Aargh!" Flo screamed, batting the face away and running behind Kaida who had turned about to see what the scream was for.

"You're scared of a Hoppip?" she asked, confused.

"It was this close Kaida!" Flo held her fingers as if she was pinching a very thin sheet of paper. "This close!"

The Hoppip started to float toward her again.

"I think it likes you," Kaida teased, as it bopped Flo on the head again.

"It is cute." Flo smiled. "Maybe I should catch it."

"Don't let me stop you."

Kaida waved her hand, hoping to spur her on. Honestly, she wasn't half slow about things...

"All right, go Bellsprout!"

Bellsprout burst out of the Pokéball and wobbled over. It hadn't appeared to have recovered from the flying bowl at breakfast.

"Bellsprout, use sleep powder!"

Bellsprout tried and summoned up a sleeping powder. However if landed on itself and Bellsprout began to snooze.

"Oh, Bellsprout," Flo moaned, returning it to its ball. "I'm gonna need one of your Pokémon," she demanded.

"Why don't you just throw a Pokéball at it? It seems willing to go with you," Kaida pointed out.

"OK."

Flo rummaged around in her bag only to see, when she looked up, a very odd sight. Hoppip appeared to be flapping wildly in mid air.

"It looks like it's having a fit," Kaida pondered. "In mid air... Well," she concluded, "you don't see that every day."

"Here goes nothing," said Flo. "Go Pokéball!"

The tiny ball hit the flapping creature and Flo crossed her fingers for luck as the ball rolled around. Kaida was still too busy giggling at the 'go Pokéball' part to join in the panic.

"Yes!" Flo screamed, punching the air in triumph as the ball stopped moving. "I caught a Hoppip."

"Yeah, yeah, well done." Kaida slapped her shoulder. "Now let's go eat. I'm starving!"

She rubbed her noisy stomach. Gastly stared in awe at the noises that it was making.

"But it's three o'clock." Flo frowned. "Didn't you eat with Matt?"

Kaida refused to address the bit with Matt. Flo knew very well that they'd only gone for milkshake. "Yeah, well, if_ someone_ hadn't eaten my breakfast then I wouldn't be hungry." She glared at her Cyndaquil, who looked up sorrowfully at her and tugged Kaida's jeans whimpering. Her heart melted in a heartbeat and, as quick as a flash, Cyndaquil was in her arms. "I can never stay mad at you for long my sweet," Kaida said. "You are too cute for your own good."

"'Quil," he squeaked, now contently in her arms.

"Umm, Kaida," Flo said urgently.

Kaida looked up to see Flo had released Hoppip, which was now bopping her on the head continuously. "Little help, please."

"I'm surrounded by weirdos and their freakish Pokémon." Kaida sighed.

They managed to wrestle Hoppip away from Flo and back into its – her – Pokéball. Kaida was starving now and was feeling particularly vindictive.

So, as they walked back, she said, "Hoppip is such a cool Pokémon. It's a shame that the only move it knows is Splash."

"Er?" Flo said, confused. She hadn't thought that was true.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaida said. "You know, when it was having a fit in the air. That was Splash." She then lied, "That is pretty much the only move it can ever learn."

She waited patiently for the glorious reaction. When it happened, it was beautiful. Flo screeched so loudly that Kaida could hear birds taking flight from nearby trees, panicked by the explosion.

"WHAT?"

* * *

When they returned to Flo's, they found both Nila and John there. Nila was standing next to a fluffy Mareep, with Chikorita nowhere in sight, and John was covered from head to toe with mud. Flo spotted the Mareep first.

"That is so cute!" she squealed.

Nila's new Mareep looked extremely alarmed as Flo stampeded towards it and attempted to seize it into a giant bear hug. When Flo did grab Mareep, Mareep sparkled with electricity and her static coat shocked Flo.

"Hi, Kaida," he said tiredly. "I was just explaining to Nila what happened. Now, I need a shower."

Kaida made herself some food while Flo nattered about Hoppip. After Flo was finished, Nila explained about John's day and then hers.

"I thought you might want this," Nila said, handing Kaida a small object. "Some weird woman gave it to me. It's a Poison Barb. Gastly could use it."

"Ooh, thanks," Kaida said, before returning to her food. She was ravenous, which made it even tastier! "So you got a Mareep and... where's Chikorita?"

Nila shrugged and said, evasively, "It's all a part of my plan."

Kaida decided that it was best not to pursue that line of enquiry. It was doubtful Nila would budge and explain things and Kaida better things to do anyway, such as eat. She finished as John came downstairs, now squeaky clean and in new clothes. He held up his dirty clothes and Flo pointed at the washing machine.

"Cheers," he said as he bundled them into the machine. "Now what are we going to do?"

They went outside Flo's house and Kaida released Gastly. She had to start training him. As she worked with Gastly, she gradually became aware of sniggering behind her. She turned around and saw Nila and John crouched over Flo's phone. Both of them were struggling to control their laughter.

"What's that?" she asked as she approached them.

From the phone, she heard her own voice, singing, "...rock-a-bye Cynda..."

"You recorded me?" Kaida yelled.

Flo nodded. "It was funny."

Kaida seethed. She couldn't believe that Flo had recorded her humiliation and was now _showing it to people_.

"She's talking to a rock," Nila said bluntly, and disbelievingly.

"It's not even an interesting rock," John added.

Nila quirked an eyebrow. "What rock is?"

"Well, plenty of rocks actually," John said. He patted his backpack and then groaned. "I left my rock polisher at home. Lots of rocks have fossils and they're inventing technology to bring back extinct Pokémon from them. It's fascinating. Not to mention there are normal rocks as well that..."

Nila's eyes glazed over as she tuned out. She was brought back by spotting Kaida's shaking fists. Oh. Kaida looked extremely angry. Oops.

"And look," Flo said, pointing at the screen. "There's her boyfriend!"

Kaida was red with fury. Nila started to look worried. She knew how bad Kaida's temper was, and that it was very few things that made her go crazy like this, but her life was one of them.

"Ho-oh help that idiot girl if she insults Cyndaquil as well," Nila whispered to John.

John nodded. His eyes never left the scene, which was Kaida shaking in rage at a giggling Flo.

"I take it she isn't a big talker when it comes to the males of the world," John asked.

"Let's just say she doesn't like to be teased about this kind of thing," Nila replied. Even Mareep had sensed the atmosphere and had retreated behind her legs, eyeing the shaking girl warily.

"You don't talk about him. Anymore. At all." Kaida growled. "Keep your stupid tutu arse out of it."

"I sent a copy to your mother, too," Flo said happily, and very obliviously. "She was very happy about tall, dark, and handsome."

Now Flo was just enjoying the sweet satisfaction of Kaida's pain.

"Oh, Lugia," Nila moaned. "I really need some milk."

John was puzzled. "What?"

"I feel it's a milk moment. It will calm my nerves."

"What are you nervous about?" John asked, looking confused. "The loudness of her voice?"

Nila shook her head knowingly. "You have no idea. Really. No idea."

"You did _what_?" Kaida's voice, suddenly, was deadly calm.

"Sent it to your mother!" Flo chirped. "She said she and your grandmother really enjoyed it."

Kaida started to hyperventilate. Her _grandmother_ had seen it.

"It's OK," Flo continued. "Matt told me he had a good time getting milkshake with you."

Kaida paused. "Wait, what? You saw him _after_? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Flo shrugged. "We didn't really speak. He just said he won his gym match and he'd be going back to the milkshake bar. Then I came home and met you."

"And you didn't tell me!" Kaida hissed. "Why not?"

"I didn't think it was important. Anyway, you were helping me with my new Pokémon, so you wouldn't go meet him _again_," Flo concluded.

"Hell yeah, I would!" Kaida screamed, causing Cyndaquil to dart to Nila, who scooped him up reassuringly. "How dare you not tell me?"

"Oh come on, Kaida," Flo said soothingly. "There will be other chances to see him! If you're that bothered, why don't you call him?"

"Because I haven't got his number, you socially incapable Mudkip!" Kaida roared. She glared daggers at Flo.

"Really?" Flo looked puzzled. "Well, that date must have sucked. Guess he's just not that into younger girls."

"Oh, _high _Ho-oh, that's a bad move," Nila muttered as she rocked Cyndaquil back and forth comfortingly. He had buried his face in her arms.

"Take it back now!" Kaida's knuckles were white with rage.

John grimaced. "This cannot end well..."

"I'm sorry, Kaida, but you'll have to face the facts sooner or later. He's just not that into you." Flo pondered and added, as an afterthought, "Hmm. Maybe he's gay."

"Aahhh!" Kaida shrieked.

In one motion, she grabbed the bin beside her and, with all of her might, she threw it at Flo.

Nila swore. Her face drained as she watched the bin soaring through the air.

John was impressed. What a throw! He didn't know Kaida had such a good arm on her.

Flo, on the other hand, looked terrified. She had never meant to anger Kaida so much: she just enjoyed annoying her. She had never expected that someone so small could throw a bin quite that far. She was frozen as she saw the bin coming closer and closer towards her, but just before the moment of impact her Bellsprout, out of nowhere, jumped up and tackled the flying bin out of the path of his owner.

"Oh, _Victreebel._" Flo sighed in relief. "Thanks, Bellsprout."

"Oh my Murkrow," John whispered.

Flo glanced up, and to her horror, she saw something unfamiliar. "Why is my Bellsprout glowing?"

"It's evolving, you idiot," Nila said.

Nila glared at Flo's stupidity as she went to help up a fallen Kaida, who was now sitting on her legs, her head bowed so none of her face was visible. Cyndaquil pawed at her leg, trying to check his trainer was OK.

"What?" Flo yelped. She ran over to her glowing Pokémon, but it was too late. Before her stood, in all its glory, a Weepinbell.

"Oh, tumbling Tangela, it's _hideous_!" she screamed.

"Bellsprout wasn't exactly a looker either," Nila whispered to Kaida, who was still in her emo corner.

"Bell, Bell!"

The Weepinbell jumped up and down, smiling to himself, proud of what he had achieved. Flo bent down to look at him more closely, but her plan was foiled when he leaped into the air and positioned himself above her head so, as it fell, he swallowed half of her. This seemed to be some sort of form of affection in Weepinbell terms.

"Ewww, get it off me!" Flo screamed.

John laughed before leaping into action. Meanwhile, Nila was still trying to get Kaida out of her rut. The scene of Weepinbell eating Flo had not improved matters.

"Come on, Kaida, smile!"

Nila tried to push Kaida's head up, but she found that her friend could make her head very heavy when she tried.

"Oooh, _Kaida_," Nila said in a singsong voice. "Take no notice of Miss Dancy Pants over there. She has no idea what she's talking about."

Kaida still didn't move.

Nila continued, "I mean who is going to take love advice from someone wearing _those _leg warmers. It's just not right." Nila shook her head at the thought. Who indeed would take love advice from someone dressed as a Bellsprout?

"Do you think he's gay?" a small voice asked.

Nila looked down to see Kaida have emerged from her emo corner.

"Well, he didn't look gay to me when he was taking you on that date."

Kaida frowned. Nila hadn't even seen it. "But..."

"Saw it on Flo's video," Nila said. She cuffed Kaida round the head. "Stupid."

"So I might still have a chance?" Kaida whispered.

Nila raised her eyes to the sky, hoping Kaida didn't notice. She attempted to keep her voice soft when she said, "Yes, Kaida, you still have a chance with your emo."

Kaida grinned and grabbed Nila into a hug. She could tell Nila was losing patience with her moping, but she appreciated Nila trying.

"Now did I say you could touch me?" Nila growled.

Kaida laughed and stood up, pulling her worried Cyndaquil into a hug.

"Look what you did!" Flo screeched at Kaida.

"What _now, _Plum?" Nila asked wearily.

She sighed and stood beside Kaida, brushing her clothes flat again.

"You turned my beautiful Bellsprout into… into _that_!"

Flo pointed at the Weepinbell. John was now clutching him so that he didn't try to eat Flo again.

"But now it's more powerful." Nila raised her eyebrows. "Do you not want a half decent Pokémon?"

"But the dance!" Flo demanded, "What do you intend I do about it now? All that practice ruined…"

"On the bright side…" Nila smirked. "She just saved you wearing that terrible outfit in front of other people."

Flo rounded on Kaida.

"This is all your fault!"

"Well, actually, it's your fault for saying all that stuff about Matt and, more importantly, that bin was meant to hit you and not your bloody Bellsprout. It is not my fault that thing tried to save your life," Kaida countered.

"That's right, Kaida. Don't make it sound like you are a murdering psycho or anything…" Nila muttered.

Kaida just glared at her in return. She should have known Nila wouldn't stay supportive for long.

"Arghhh!" Flo screamed before stomping off towards her house.

"Think we should follow?" John asked, releasing Weepinbell, who bounced off after Flo.

"Nah we'll just let her sulk on her own," Nila replied. "Anyway, after that outburst, Kaida's stomach is telling me it's a bit hungry."

Kaida blushed at her growling stomach. She had just eaten... but it had only been a sandwich! It would soon be time for dinner!

"To the café!" John declared, racing off to the left path, jabbing at his guidebook.

"Hey, genius, the book is the wrong way round. The cafe is that way," Nila said, pointing to the right path.

She looked highly amused.

"Touché!" John yelled back at the two girls, as he ran off towards the right direction with Totodile dancing behind him.

While they ate a scrumptious meal at the café, Flo not only had to deal with her dreams of the Dance-Off washing away, but her mother returned to find her various pieces of her jewellery missing. Screaming ensued.


	9. Day 6

(DAY SIX)

It was Saturday. This meant it was the day that Kaida and Nila were to battle the gym leader of Violet City, Falkner. Flo was grounded – her mother was furious about her missing jewellery – so only John, Nila, and Kaida went to the gym for her match.

"Maybe Hoothoot can have a look at the other flying Pokémon," John said, releasing his flying Pokémon in favour of Totodile.

Hoothoot flapped around their heads several times. Nila cringed every time the bird came near, fearing it would excrete on her head. Kaida thought that Nila could go a _little_ over the top with birds, but then she actually had had bird droppings land on her before, so perhaps she could be excused.

The gym was exactly how Kaida imagined it. There were roosts for the birds and trainers showing off their flying skills everywhere. The walls were lined with bird cages, which was a perfect homage to bird Pokémon. There were also rafters above where Kaida spotted trainers walking alongside their flying Pokémon. It was very simple but it was perfect. Kaida thought of the day when she would hopefully have her own fire gym. There would be flames – maybe even some lava if she was near a volcano – and fire Pokémon everywhere.

Nila elbowed Kaida to get her out of her fantasy.

"Are you here to battle Falkner?" a girl said, popping up by their side.

Nila and Kaida and John all looked at her. She was tall, slim, and had her mousey hair in bunches. Despite her hair colour, her face was fierce – long and pointed – and she had sharp eyes of a peculiar colour. They were a blue-green that dissolved into orange sparks around the edge.

"Uh, yeah," Kaida said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Penelope," the girl said. "You can't fight Falkner without fighting me first."

"Um, why?" Kaida asked. She'd signed up to fight him! She had an appointment.

"Because I've travelled all the way from Kanto to fight him," she said, "and then I got disappointed. He's refusing to fight with his strong Pokémon. He has a Pidgeot and a Dodrio and a Noctowl, and they're all very strong, but he's training a Pidgey and a Pidgeotto and will only fight with them. I beat him _easily_." She held her head higher. "So now I have to face all the other challengers. I came here for a battle and I want to get one."

Kaida frowned. "That's hardly fair. If I fight you now then I'll get to him and my Pokémon will be tired."

Penelope folded her arms across her chest. "Well _someone _has to fight me."

"It's OK, Kaida," Nila said. "I'll fight her. My battle with Falkner is this afternoon." She turned to Penelope. "I only have one Pokémon with me at the moment, so it will have to be a one on one."

"Fine," Penelope sighed.

"You should also know," Nila said, pulling the face that Kaida recognised as her exasperated-with-idiots look, "that gym leaders can't use Pokémon that in gym battles that they want to use in the Pokémon league."

"Huh?" Penelope frowned.

"Yeah," Kaida chimed in. "Everyone else has the eight weeks to get eight badges to enter the Silver League Conference, but they don't have to get the eight badges. They're entered automatically into the League Cup, but they aren't allowed to use the same Pokémon that they used in their gyms in the league."

Penelope apparently wasn't as well informed on the subject of gyms and the Silver League Conference as Kaida and Nila were. However, the confusion faded and she soon perked up. "Oh well. Let's battle then. Go, Jynx!"

"Mareep," Nila said, nodding her head at the electric Pokémon beside her. "You're up."

Jynx wiggled from side to side, sashaying forwards. She towered over the tiny, sparking Mareep. John eyed her in interest, taking note of the shine to her yellow hair.

"That Jynx looks strong," John said.

"She is," Penelope said, proudly. "I raised it from a Smoochum. It was my first ever Pokémon."

Nila looked over at Kaida and John. "You should go and find Falkner," she said to Kaida, who nodded. "You go battle him, and I'll finish with her."

"Cocky!" Penelope said through a smile. "I like it. It'll be better when I crush you."

Nila raised an eyebrow in return. "I doubt that."

Kaida and John departed as the battle started behind them.

"OK, Jynx," Penelope cried. "Use Doubleslap!"

Jynx raised her hands and swiped at the Mareep. Mareep dodged the right hand by jumping up and, as Jynx rounded for a second blow, Mareep dodged again by crouching. Jynx moved to use her attack again, but it was soon evident that Mareep was the faster Pokémon, being smaller and more agile. Mareep skidded to the right to dodge Jynx so that the third and fourth blows from Doubleslap failed as well. Nila was glad they hadn't hit because the Jynx looked tough. She was likely far more powerful than Mareep because Nila hadn't had Mareep for long and, although she was quite strong already, Penelope had raised this Jynx and had had her for a long time.

"If that won't work," Penelope said, "then use Power Snow!"

Jynx swooped up, raising her arms. Her arms shimmered and glittered as she summoned a snowy gust that blasted into Mareep. It had been impossible to avoid because Jynx had spanned so much area and had created the gust so quickly. Mareep shuddered from the cold attack and planted her feet firmly on the ground so she was not buffeted backwards.

"Mareep, use Thundershock!"

Mareep had been holding herself so stubbornly against the icy gale that Mareep stumbled forward when it stopped. She shook herself, recovering from the previous icy attack. Then she sparked with electricity and unleashed the energy. The electric attack zapped into the Jynx and Nila thought Mareep must have caused a fair amount of damage, even if electricity wasn't one of Jynx's weaknesses.

"Now, use Body Slam!" Nila ordered.

The Mareep charged at Jynx and slammed into it while she was still recovering from the electrical attack. Jynx was driven backwards, winded. Penelope frowned. Her sharp eyes flickered between the two Pokémon as she assessed the situation. She put her hands on her hips.

"It's lucky that your Mareep is a girl because Jynx's special ability is Attract and that could have meant your Mareep was out of commission."

Nila had known this, and was glad that Mareep was female. She wouldn't have attempted the Body Slam attack otherwise. She was thinking of her next move when Penelope figured out hers.

"Jynx, use Lovely Kiss!"

"Mareep, get away!" Nila yelled urgently.

Jynx puckered up and Mareep dodged away, barely avoiding the attack as the Jynx swooped towards it. Those lips were horrifying, Nila thought. She would not want them on her. No wonder Mareep had run away so hastily.

"OK, Mareep," she said, as Jynx stopped trying to attack. "Body Slam again."

Mareep charged towards the Jynx.

"Wait for it," Penelope said.

The Mareep drew closer.

"Now," Penelope yelled. "Ice Punch!"

The Jynx slammed her icy fist into Nila's Mareep as she launched herself towards Jynx to Body Slam it. The Mareep was caught midair and thrown across the room by the force of the powerful punch. She skidded to a halt, and scrambled to her feet again, but Nila could see that she had been hurt.

"Use Thundershock instead then!" Nila called.

Jynx attempted to evade the attack but Mareep caught her with the burst of electricity. Now Jynx was the one growing weaker.

"Jynx, use Fake Tears!" Penelope called.

Mareep and Nila were both bewildered by the display. Jynx broke into strange sobs. Surely this wasn't an attack… Something niggling at the back of Nila's mind was warning her something. Oh, yes, it tricked the foe and lowered their Special Defence.

"Mareep, try to ignore it," Nila said sharply. "It's a trick. Instead use another Thundershock!"

Penelope cursed as Jynx was hit by the attack again. Her health was depleted further.

"Use Powder Snow!"

Mareep was ready for the attack this time and she dodged away from the worst of the snowy gust, moving into the fringes of the attack, before firing another Thundershock back.

"Now try what I told you about before," Nila called. "Thunder Wave!"

A different spark of electricity now slammed into Jynx. The electricity shuddered around Jynx's body and she found herself paralysed and unable to move. Nila smirked in triumph, while Penelope looked horrified.

"Now use Body Slam!" Nila ordered. "Jynx can't punch back now!"

Mareep slammed into Jynx one more time and the battle was over. Jynx was unconscious and Mareep had won.

"I can't believe it," Penelope said incredulously. "Your Mareep is powerful!"

"Yeah," Nila said, patting the head of her triumphant Pokémon. She withdrew her hand when she was almost shocked. "She is." Then she said, "Your Jynx was pretty strong too. I think if she had managed to put my Pokémon to sleep the battle would have gone very differently."

"Yeah," Penelope said. "Maybe I need to work on Jynx's speed and accuracy. Lovely Kiss is a great move but it is useless if I can't get Jynx close enough to the Pokémon. You've taught me that!"

Nila and Penelope exchanged smiles.

"Anyway, you better give me your number," Penelope said. "This isn't over. We'll have a rematch. I'm leaving Violet City, but you had better be sure that I'll battle you again. Once Jynx is faster, you won't have a chance!"

"We'll see about that!" Nila scoffed.

They switched numbers.

"I better go see how Kaida is doing," Nila said. "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah, actually," Penelope said, after tilting her head for a second in contemplation. "That might be fun."

They started to walk in the direction that Kaida and John had left him.

"You better beat Falkner now," Penelope said conversationally. "I'll die of embarrassment if you lose to those new Pokémon since you beat me."

* * *

When Kaida and John had left Nila behind to battle the girl with the Jynx, they had continued through the avian gym, asking for directions to the gym leader. Eventually they found themselves meeting the blue haired gym leader outside behind the gym. He was reclining on a bench whilst finishing off a sandwich. Kaida immediately noted his strange outfit. He had a light blue jacket over a darker blue robe with a white sash, black and red forearm bands, and, horrifyingly, long white socks with sandals. Socks and sandals were a terrible combination, Kaida thought, and she had to force herself to look into Falkner's face rather than linger on the horror below. He looked tired. Uncertain of what she should do, Kaida hovered until he spotted her.

"You must be Kaida." He stood up and brushed his hands together to get rid of the crumbs. "Sorry, I've been up since the crack of dawn." He rubbed his eyes. "All these battles... Anyway." He jerked his head so the hair across his eye fell properly into place. "It's a one on one, as usual. I've not got the time for anything else. Are you ready?"

"Definitely," Kaida said.

She was trying to appear confident whilst, in reality, she was extremely nervous. She put her hands into her pocket and tried to stop herself from shaking. She was partly shaking in anticipation, but a lot of it was fear. This was her first gym battle. She had only been a trainer for a short few days. Even if Falkner wasn't using his best Pokémon, he was still an experienced trainer.

The battle was one versus one, and as soon as Falkner summoned the referee, it began. Falkner released a Pidgey, which looked sturdier than most Kaida had seen in the wild. It flapped its short wings determinedly and faced off against Cyndaquil, who leapt from Kaida's side to the pitch. The open air left Pidgey a lot of room to move, unlike the indoors, but as the referee explained, Pidgey could still not stray too far. The pitch was marked out for a reason: Pokémon could only be out of it for a short time before forfeiting the match. This meant if an attack sent a Pokémon outside the pitch, they had to make their way back in quickly enough of lose. The upshot was that the opponent couldn't obstruct them from getting back onto the pitch, so it couldn't attack them until they were back in. Leaving it accidentally by one's own accord was OK (for example, if they dodged an attack and ended up moving outside the lines) but the Pokémon had to hurry back in.

"Pidgey," Falkner ordered, "use Sand Attack!"

The bird whipped its wind and sand flew towards Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil cried in pain as the sand hit into his eyes and reduced his accuracy. Kaida cursed under her breath as she watched Cyndaquil stumble blindly for a few more seconds. Pidgey used the time to get into the air, swooping over Cyndaquil's head, ready to attack again.

"Shake it off, Cyndaquil." Kaida hated to push, but Pidgey was ready to attack so Cyndaquil had to be ready. "Now use Ember."

The fire on Cyndaquil's back emerged as Cyndaquil shot the fire into the air. Unfortunately for the fire Pokémon, Pidgey tucked its wings to its side and shot away sharply to avoid them. Cyndaquil tried to track Pidgey's movements; however, every puff of fire was too slow with Cyndaquil's visibility impaired. Kaida saw Cyndaquil was still blinking furiously, in an attempt to dislodge the sand, and she crossed her fingers. Cyndaquil's accuracy had to improve or the fight would be over.

"Pidgey, use Gust!"

From above Cyndaquil, Pidgey whipped up air with its wings to strike its opponent. Cyndaquil was buffeted badly, some of his own Ember attack blowing back to hit him. He tried to roll out the way, but Pidgey swooped and caught Cyndaquil with a strong Tackle.

"Cyndaquil, get up!" Kaida called. "Pidgey's low so hit it with Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil obeyed, leaping somewhat blindly towards Pidgey. The speedy attack worked, however, and Pidgey was stopped from flying higher by the blur that was Cyndaquil. It fell with a crunch to the ground and, although it stood up, it was stationary for long enough for Cyndaquil to hit it a second time, moving from the Quick Attack into a Flame Wheel and striking the Pidgey back down. The ill effects from the Sand Attack seemed to have worn off with the speed and the burst of fire, which Kaida cheered until she saw Pidgey sweep its wings again.

"Turn around!" she yelled.

Cyndaquil turned so the Sand Attack hit his back. Pidgey took advantage of this by moving towards him with another Tackle, wings spread out and surprisingly fearsome for such a small Pokémon.

Kaida knew she had to act quickly, but she couldn't think what to do. She shouted, "Behind you!"

Cyndaquil curled up on reflex just before Pidgey slammed into him. The attack did damage, but not as much as Kaida had expected. She blinked, surprised, until she realised her Pokémon had inadvertently used Defence Curl. He looked extremely cute doing it as well, but Kaida quickly snapped out of those thoughts. There was definitely a time and a place for that.

"Move up high so Cyndaquil can't get you!" Falkner commanded his Pidgey.

Cyndaquil sent several Ember attacks at Pidgey, but the flying Pokémon managed to dodge them all. Pidgey retaliated with Gust, but Cyndaquil was also too quickly, managing to skid out of the way of each one. It appeared they were at an impasse, and since Cyndaquil was unable to break the stalemate, Pidgey would have to make the next move.

"Use Gust and get lower!"

While Cyndaquil was busy evading the Gust attacks, Pidgey dropped closer and closer. At any moment, Pidgey would strike, and Kaida didn't want to waste the opportunity by telling Cyndaquil to use Defence Curl. Instead she had to strike, but she wasn't sure how. Cyndaquil couldn't fire Ember while he was so distracted. He could however, Kaida realised, dodge using Flame Wheel.

Pidgey was ready to strike when Kaida ordered that attack. Cyndaquil whipped past the Gust attacks in a ball of flames. He whizzed around in a semi-circle and was back by Pidgey before the bird could act, leaping from the ground to smash into Pidgey. Pidgey fell to the floor, once again, and Kaida waited for it to stagger up before she ordered the Ember. Again, Pidgey wasn't quick enough, and was struck down by Cyndaquil's fire. The next time, however, it was prepared. Pidgey dodged and leapt for Cyndaquil, colliding with a Quick Attack. Cyndaquil was bowled backwards and Pidgey took the opportunity to take off again.

It seemed Cyndaquil had learnt lessons in accuracy already, as one of his Ember attacks managed to clip Pidgey's wing, which almost made the small Pokémon spin out of control. It flapped furiously but was unable to recover. Pidgey plummeted, landing slightly outside the lines of the pitch. Kaida waited as the bird got up and took off, rejoining the battle in time. Now, there was a marked difference in speed, and Kaida's heart rose in her chest as she realised that she and Cyndaquil could really win this.

"Come on, Cyndaquil," she urged. "One more hit."

Pidgey was too high to hit, but it couldn't stay there forever. It struck Cyndaquil with Gust, causing Cyndaquil to stagger dizzily, and took a chance. Pidgey dove through the air, beak and talons glinting, but Cyndaquil managed to recover in time, turning to face the Pidgey in time to open his mouth and expel a burst of flames. Pidgey was hit full on in the face and thumped to the ground. Cyndaquil backed off and waited, preparing to use another attack, but Pidgey's wing twitched once before its head dropped down.

They had won.

"The match goes to Kaida!" cried the referee.

"YES!"

Kaida rushed to her Cyndaquil, squealing. He staggered into her arms, his flame extinguishing now that the fight was over. She cuddled it and praised it. She had won her first ever gym match thanks to the power and speed of her cute Cyndaquil. She was so happy she could burst.

"Well done," Falkner praised.

She looked up to see him tending to his Pidgey and its minor scorches. He got up and walked over to her, handing her a small, glinting object.

"Here is your gym badge then," Falkner said. "It is the Zephyr Badge. You deserve it. Your Cyndaquil is very determined."

Cyndaquil buried his face into Kaida, embarrassed.

"I know," Kaida said proudly. Her smile felt like it was going to split her face in two, however clichéd that sounded. "Your Pokémon was great too."

Falkner took Kaida's trainer card and slid it into a small, white and grey machine that he had kept in his pocket. This would update the card to show her victory, as badges could be lost or forged and were mostly a symbol to other trainers of strength. Once the card was updated, he handed it back to Kaida and offered his congratulations again.

John walked over to commend her for her win. Nila and the girl from before – Penelope – followed. Kaida had been so wrapped up in her battle she hadn't seen them arrive.

"How much did you see?" she demanded, eyes blazing. She would kill Nila if she hadn't witnessed Cyndaquil's fiery glory.

"Most of it," Nila said, although how she knew that was a mystery to Kaida.

"And Cyndaquil was amazing," Kaida gushed.

She went back to cooing at her Pokémon as the next challenger to Falkner strode onto the pitch for his appointment. This was a taller, older boy with gelled, spiked hair. A Pikachu followed behind him. Kaida looked up in time to see Falkner's irritated face.

"Electricity," the blue haired gym leader said scornfully. "How original. Well, don't think you can clip my wings with that. Go, Pidgeotto!"

The referee walked over to tap Kaida on the shoulder. "You need to leave the pitch, Miss."

Kaida nodded. She couldn't quite get the words out – all she could do was babble about how amazing Cyndaquil was – but she scrambled away from gym leader and his next opponent anyway. John, Nila, and Penelope followed so she chattered to them about Cyndaquil's amazing powers and prowess in battle as they walked back through the gym towards the exit. Nila and John groaned and tried to tune her out.

Honestly…

Now away from the gym and too many watching eyes, Kaida lifted up Cyndaquil and twirled around with it outstretched in her arms.

"We did it!" she screamed, before putting Cyndaquil back down and doing what could only be described as a victory dance, which of course Cyndaquil tried to copy.

Nila cringed at her friend and hoped that no one else was watching the weird display. Penelope and John also raised their eyebrows.

"Um, OK," Penelope said slowly. "As educational as that was, and as, er, inspiring this is... I'll be off." She grinned at Nila. "I have to meet my friends and Hannah'll kill me if I'm late! It won't be pretty! See you later, suckers!"

Kaida paid no attention whatsoever to Penelope's exit, but John waved goodbye. Nila nodded at Penelope, but she couldn't wave because she was confronted by an excitable Kaida, who started to yell in her face.

"Oh. My. Lugia. I won!" Kaida screamed, grabbing Nila's shoulders and shaking them. "I have my first gym badge! I'm so happy," she squealed, jumping up and down on the spot. "_Nothing_ can compare to this moment!"

Nila was powerless as her bones jarred from being shaken so violently. Eventually, John rescued her by tugging Kaida away. He was quite a bit sturdier so better equipped to handle Kaida's victory flailing.

"Well, as fun as this has been," Nila said sourly, rubbing her sore neck, "I have to make a trip to the Pokémon Centre. Are you coming?"

"Sure," John said, shoving Kaida away from him. "I'm not sure about this one, though."

Kaida had scooped Cyndaquil up and was swirling around again, praising Cyndaquil's greatness. Nila wondered whether Cyndaquil didn't feel at all nauseous from the spinning. He seemed fairly happy, so he probably had a strong stomach. This was definitely lucky for Kaida.

They trudged along to the Pokémon Centre where Nila joined a short queue to use the video phone. Kaida was marginally surprised when Jane's face appeared on the screen. She waved with extra enthusiasm when she saw Kaida was there too.

"Who is that?" she asked. "He's tall!"

"That's John," Nila said, just before Kaida interrupted.

"Mum, I got my first gym badge!" Kaida burst out. She grabbed Cyndaquil and held him in front of the screen so that her mother could see him. "It's all thanks to him!" She unpinned the badge from her jacket to show it to her mother next.

"Ooh, that's fantastic," Jane cooed, clapping her hands together. "My little girl winning battles! I'm so happy! Especially because you have that cutie Pokémon."

Totodile, unhappy at being ignored, started to run around in circles. This culminated in Totodile slamming into Kaida's legs and sending the badge flying out of her hands. Kaida scrabbled to pick the badge up as John returned the troublesome Pokémon to his Pokéball.

On Jane's end, Vulpix popped up. The curious fire Pokémon pressed her nose to the screen, red paws soon joining that, and her tail bobbed up and down. Jane stroked Vulpix's head and the Pokémon briefly nuzzled back before retreating. Her fascination with the screen was over.

"Aaw, Vulpix," Kaida said happily. "Hope she's doing OK." This meant that she hoped that Vulpix had stopped going in her grandmother's room, as it always earned her a smack from the walking stick.

"Of course she is," Jane said, disappearing momentarily to scratch Vulpix on the head. She popped back up and grinned. "And you?"

"I hate to interrupt," Nila said, her impatient tone betraying her, "but you have my Chikorita."

"Ooh, of course." Jane's beaming face continued to shine. "It was a complete success."

"Thanks for this." Nila now sounded genuine. "You are talented. I'll hold up my end of the bargain."

Jane looked even happier – if this was at all possible – as she said, "It was no problem, sweetie."

Nila winced a little at the endearment, but she was successful in hiding the majority of her displeasure at the term. Instead, she was quiet as Jane loaded a Pokéball into her end, and after several beeps, Chikorita's Pokéball materialised on their end. Nila scooped it up and released her Pokémon, who looked confused for a moment, especially after she was bumped into by Mareep.

"So that's where Chikorita went," Kaida said, the pieces adding up. "What did Mum teach her?"

"It's a surprise," Jane squealed. "Good luck with your gym match, Nila. And congratulations to you, Kaida!" A pause. "I'm not sure what John does, but I hope he's well too."

"Thanks," John said, taken back by the blinding smile directed his way.

"Bye!"

Jane turned off her end of the monitor after they chorused goodbye in return. Nila turned their end off and looked down at Chikorita, who was now being sniffed by Cyndaquil.

"Lunch, then my gym battle," said Nila. She contemplated food options for a moment.

"Ooh," Kaida said, clapping her hands together. "We should go to the milkshake bar and get sandwiches."

So sue her, Kaida couldn't help but hope that Matt hadn't already moved on to the next town. Maybe he had wanted to pop into the milkshake bar one last time?

"That's not really _lunch_," Nila said, but Kaida could see that she was greatly tempted by the milkshake.

They picked up sandwiches, but as the milkshake bar was full, they took their drinks to go and searched for a good place to sit. It was such a nice day that people were milling about everywhere. However, they eventually found a reasonably secluded spot, even if they were forced to sit under the shade of several trees instead of enjoying the sun. They released all of their Pokémon to feed them, and then settled down to eat their own sandwiches. Nila finished her food in about five seconds and laid down on the grass – spreading out a jumper so her hair wouldn't get twigs in it – to have a nap.

Dunsparce was perfectly content to stay under the bench while the other Pokémon ate and played around him. He ate a little food, but then became bored, returning to his usual doze. Dunsparce remained oblivious even as Mareep and Totodile leapt over his prone body as they played together. Nearby, Hoothoot preened her feathers while slyly eyeing Cyndaquil's dish. Whenever the little fire Pokémon was distracted by the rambunctious Totodile, Hoothoot would sneak a taste. For Hoothoot, stolen food apparently did taste better.

"Hoothoot!" Kaida yelled, when she finally saw what was going on. "John, control your Pokémon!"

John, who had his nose in the guidebook he had been given in Cherrygrove, looked up with a glazed expression. "Huh?" he said, confused. "What's going on?"

"Your thieving Pokémon!" Kaida fumed, slapping Hoothoot back. She yelped when Hoothoot gave her a nasty peck to the wrist. "Ow!"

"Bad Hoothoot," John said absently, before returning to his guidebook. "Did you two know about the new Safari Zone in Cianwood? They need to give it more publicity."

Kaida threw the crusts of her sandwich at John's head. Unfortunately, her aim was awful, so they landed by Hoothoot, who gobbled them up quickly. Hoothoot gave Kaida a satisfied look before returning to eyeing up Cyndaquil's bowl. Cyndaquil now chowed down enthusiastically, but Totodile knocked into the fire Pokémon a second later, uprooting the bowl. Several pieces flew out and Hoothoot seized them in a flash. Cyndaquil turned his head to search for the missing pieces and was most bewildered when he couldn't see them.

"Hoothoot!" Kaida snapped. "Cyndaquil, Hoothoot is stealing from you."

Cyndaquil looked at Kaida in more confusion. The devious bird Pokémon took the opportunity to take some more pieces of Cyndaquil's meal. Kaida threw more of her sandwich at Hoothoot, but this was a foolish and poorly considered move: the bird Pokémon just caught the pieces in midair and swallowed them. Kaida reached over and tugged Cyndaquil's bowl towards her, Cyndaquil trotting over behind it.

_There. I'd like to see Hoothoot steal the food with me right next to it, _Kaida thought, glaring at John's Pokémon.

Kaida's gaze was drawn from Hoothoot when she heard the whizzing sound that accompanied Chikorita's Razor Leaf. The green Pokémon was fending off a Pidgey, whose gleaming eyes were fixated on Chikorita's food. The Pidgey would take two steps forwards and one step back with every round of leaves, getting closer and closer to the prize. Kaida looked back to Hoothoot, who was watching Cyndaquil's bowl behind her stubby wings, but then she spotted another Pidgey creeping towards Totodile's abandoned bowl. The Pidgey reached the food and began to gobble it down so quickly that Kaida was surprised it didn't choke. Totodile hadn't noticed, so Kaida decided she should probably point it out, as annoying as the terror was.

"Totodile, your food is disappearing!"

The blue Pokémon squawked in alarm, using a violent Water Gun to blast the Pidgey away. The bird went whizzing backwards with the jet of water, narrowly missing John's head. John jumped about a foot in the air and cradled his guidebook to his chest.

"Wait, what?"

"Pidgey," Kaida said unhelpfully. She turned back just in time to see Hoothoot grab another piece of Cyndaquil's food, much to her Pokémon's dismay, but she was too slow for her slap to connect. Hoothoot darted out of the way in the nick of time. Kaida scowled. "Go away!" To Cyndaquil, she said, "Just set that puff ball on fire!"

Hoothoot's own food, neglected for Cyndaquil's, was actually being eaten by two hungry Pidgey. Hoothoot noticed this after finishing the latest stolen morsels and flapped her wings furiously. The Pidgey flapped back. Hoothoot launched at them, pecking freely, and the pair scattered. A third Pidgey sneaked behind them, eating more of Hoothoot's food while she fended off the first two. Kaida laughed at Hoothoot until she realised poor Gastly, behind her, was also fending off Pidgey, but with even less success than Hoothoot. In frustration, the purple gas ball threw its bowl at the tree, scattering the food everywhere. About ten Pidgey descended, scooping up the Pokéchow happily. This seemed to encourage more Pidgey to descend, clicking their beaks as they eyed the food eagerly.

"Uh," John said, eyes darting from Pidgey to Pidgey, "maybe we should move."

"Good idea!" Kaida nudged Nila. "Get up!"

Nila opened her eyes and flinched violently at the sight of all the Pidgey surrounding her. She patted her hair, as if bird faeces would magically appear there, and then bolted to her feet. She stooped to snatch up her jumper and bag, and then she started to back away.

"What about the bowls?" Kaida asked, trying to pick up Gastly's bowl. A Pidgey lunged forwards to peck her, and it was only Cyndaquil tackling the bird Pokémon that saved Kaida's hand. "I can't leave my bowl!"

John's solution was to upend the bowls of his Pokémon everywhere. The Pidgey went after the food and he was free to scoop up the empty bowls. Nila and Kaida followed in suit, all the while cursing the Pidgey. They backed off – Kaida held Cyndaquil protectively while Nila had to practically wrestle Chikorita back to stop her from fighting with one or more of the Pidgey – and the Pidgey were content to ignore them until the food was gone, which took a surprisingly short amount of time. Then, as one, the mob of Pidgey turned their heads towards them. They began to stalk forwards.

"Run, I think," John said in a higher pitch than usual.

Kaida and Nila showed their agreement by breaking into a sprint. They heard the flapping of wings behind them, but they didn't have time to look back. Eventually they reached the rest of the people in the park – who glared at them for the interruption – and they felt it was safe to look back. All the Pidgey were gone, leaving them alone with their hearts thudding. Who had known a group of Pidgey had been capable of that?

* * *

Vera greeted them all with a glare when they returned to Flo's house, probably because she suspected they were thieves. Flo stood behind her mother with a miserable expression on her face. Beside Vera stood a Vileplume, who was glaring at them as if it expected trouble.

"Since I can't find my jewellery," Vera said sharply, "you can't stay here anymore."

"Mum," Flo protested, but was silenced with a glare.

"That's fair," John agreed in a neutral tone. He looked to Kaida and Nila. "You two are participating in the Pokémon League challenge. You can get accommodation from the Pokémon Centre."

Kaida nodded. The room would be small and basic, but it would have access to showers and electricity so was better than camping. They could sneak John in: Charlie had told them that nobody minded. Privately, Kaida was just thankful Vera hadn't called the police. Then again, she had gone through their things and found nothing, so there was no evidence they were to blame. Kaida honestly had no idea what had happened to the jewellery. She knew that neither she nor Kaida had stolen it, and John hardly seemed the type. Perhaps Vera had simply misplaced them. The explanation sounded feeble, but Kaida couldn't think of anything else. It could have even been Flo playing dress up, losing a few pieces here and there!

Once they had acquired a room from the Pokémon Centre, it was time for Nila to go to her battle with Falkner. Chikorita strode confidently at her side as they walked through the gym filled with one of the many enemies of the grass type. There were even more birds flapping around in there than before, their beating wings and cries creating a cacophonous noise. Cyndaquil, in contrast to Chikorita, pressed closer to Kaida's heel. The loud sounds seemed to frighten it.

Finally, they were outside the gym, where Falkner was finishing off a Zubat with his Pidgey. His opponent was a disconsolate boy with his head in his hands. He looked to be a little older than Kaida and Nila, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, and apparently did not manage his emotions well. Falkner looked awkward as he walked over to attempt to console him.

"You can sign up for a rematch," he told the boy, patting him tentatively on the shoulder.

The boy sniffled, returned his Zubat to its Pokéball, and then ran.

"Ah, you," Falkner said, spotting Kaida. "You beat me earlier. So, I must be battling you?" He directed the last part at Nila, who nodded. Falkner's eyes then fell upon Nila's Mareep, and his lip curled. "Electric type." He released a Pidgeotto from a Pokéball clipped to his waist. "Try _this_."

"I'm using Chikorita," Nila told him, which blindsided Falkner completely.

However, it was the only sensible move. Nila had just captured Mareep. She hadn't had Chikorita for much longer, but they had bonded and trained much more than she had with the electric sheep. Plus, thanks to Kaida's mother, Chikorita has a new, secret weapon.

"Just remember," Nila told Chikorita. "You aren't as quick, but you're sturdy. Make your hits count."

Chikorita twirled her leaf and stepped forward onto the pitch. The referee glanced between Falkner and Nila and nodded sharply. The match had begun.

"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!"

The larger Pokémon shot towards Chikorita, who had no chance of dodging. She was completely unprepared for the attack and tumbled over backwards, a great deal of damage done. However, Chikorita got up quickly and braced herself for the next attack. Pidgeotto came at her again, her wings wide, and it was time to strike.

"Ancient Power," Nila ordered.

Swirling rocks were summoned. They crashed into Pidgeotto, who cried out in shock. The rock type move against the flying Pokémon was super effective, and even Falkner looked surprised. This, Kaida realised, was what her mother had been teaching Chikorita. Kaida hadn't even realised Chikorita could learn anything like that. It certainly explained why Nila had been fiddling around on her Pokédex at any rate.

Pidgeotto backed off. Its next attack was Gust, leaving it less vulnerable to attack, and Chikorita scarcely managed to sidestep it. The first Razor Leaf retaliation missed. The second hit, doing little damage, but it did disrupt the next Gust attack so Chikorita could launch herself forwards and use Tackle. Pidgeotto flapped back as the pair went tumbling head over heels across the pitch. Pidgeotto swiped out and Chikorita was buffeted backwards. She regained her footing and glared at Pidgeotto, who launched into the air. Chikorita was hit by the next Gust, and she began to tire.

Pidgeotto swooped down to use Wing Attack. Chikorita fired another Ancient Power. At the last second, Pidgeotto managed to dodge the attack, swooping around Chikorita and spraying sand into its eyes. The Sand Attack caused Chikorita to waver as she tried to blink the obstructing sand from her eyes. Pidgeotto used the opportunity to use another Wing Attack.

One more hit and Chikorita was out.

"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita struck Pidgeotto in one wing, causing the Pokémon to spiral out of control. While Pidgeotto regained its balance, Chikorita moved onto the next step of Nila's plan. She began to glow as she used Synthesis to regain health. It was a nice day, which aided Chikorita's healing, as the grass Pokémon took advantage of the sun's rays. Chikorita had finished healing just as Pidgeotto collided into her with another fierce Wing Attack. However, now healthier again, Chikorita could use Ancient Power and scored a hit. Pidgeotto went crashing to the ground.

Nila bit her lip. She wasn't sure how many more Ancient Power attacks Chikorita would have the strength to perform. Her Pokémon had only just learnt the move, and it was a hard type for a grass Pokémon to master, as it was nothing like Chikorita's regular moves. Still, on the bright side, Pidgeotto was badly hurt from the two powerful strikes, and Pidgeotto seemed to have no healing move to recover.

"Ancient Power!"

"Gust!"

Chikorita's summoned rocks crashed into the Gust attack formed by Pidgeotto. Some rocks got through, but the majority were brushed away. Chikorita's ability to perform her new move was waning. However, after the attack, Chikorita seemed to strengthen, bolstering herself against the tendrils of the Gust attack that crept through. She tried to perform Ancient Power again, but only a few rocks appeared, and Pidgeotto shot upwards to avoid them easily.

"Wing Attack!"

"Tackle!"

Both Pokémon were tiring, but Chikorita had the edge. Unfortunately, Chikorita was no longer able to perform her super effective move on her opponent. Whipping the leaf on her head, she faced Pidgeotto, and, when Pidgeotto swooped down for a Wing Attack, Chikorita leapt up, colliding with the bird. Pidgeotto was bigger, but Chikorita was relentless, powering into the bird with little regard for herself. The wings caught Chikorita, but Chikorita used Tackle again, sending Pidgeotto skidding along the ground.

The bird used its wings to right itself and then toppled. The bird did not get up again. The match was over and Chikorita had won. The triumphant grass Pokémon trotted over to her trainer, who stopped and patted her head.

"Good job," Nila praised, and Chikorita preened.

"Here's the Zephyr Badge," Falkner said. He gave Nila the badge and took her trainer card to update it. "I'm impressed you beat me with that Pokémon," he said to her, ruining it slightly when he added, "even if you did have to resort to a super effective move."

Nila restrained herself from rolling her eyes. This early in her Pokémon journey, type advantage was essential. When she was a more experience trainer, with a wider variety of Pokémon and tactics, the need for it would be lessened.

"Well done!" Kaida whooped as Nila moved away from Falkner. She looked visibly more excited than Nila at the win. "We need to celebrate again! More milkshake?"

Nila couldn't say no to milkshake.

This time they stayed away from the fringes of the park, where the flock of troublesome Pidgey resided, and sat right in the middle to finish off their cool drink. They were so absorbed in their chatting and drinking that they didn't notice Penelope until she was right next to them.

"Hallo," the girl said cheerfully, a grin stretched across her face. She looked to Nila. "Did you win?"

Nila nodded.

"Excellent," was the dry reply. "Now I don't have to throw myself off a building."

"Anyway, I'm heading off to Goldenrod now," Penelope declared, "but I just saw you and thought I should say goodbye."

"Bye," Nila said. After a second, she added, "Good luck."

"You too!" Penelope skipped off.

The rest of the afternoon comprised of light training until they started to get hungry again. John suggested going to the Pokémon Centre's accommodation to use their kitchen facilities. The building was old and tucked away behind densely packed trees, and they found there were many people crammed into rooms there. Kaida and Nila found they were actually crammed into a room with five other bunk beds, so ten other girls. John could hardly sneak in there.

"I'll camp outside," John said, not bothered. The beds weren't much better than the ground, and he could sneak in to use the showers and the kitchen.

There were many people in the kitchen, but John managed to get them all to give him space by declaring he would cook for all of them. Using a mishmash of ingredients, John made two enormous pasta bakes with Kaida's help. When it was done, they all settled down at the table to enjoy it. Even Nila found the vegetable pasta bake tasty, while Kaida preferred to munch on the meaty one.

"This is my second time going through Johto," a boy named Lorin told them. "Last year I got seven badges, then I lost to Claire in Blackthorn. She's brutal. I've never heard of her giving a rematch."

"Well, they don't have to," a girl with a lopsided ponytail chimed in, "but most of them do."

Some of the people there already had badges, such as Kian, from Azalea, who had already beaten Bugsy in his hometown, and Delia, who had beaten Whitney after taking the Magnet Train from Kanto to Goldenrod.

"You're not going the best way around," John criticised her. "You should have gone down to Azalea from Goldenrod and then back up here. It would have saved you time."

Delia gave him a condescending look and ignored him. Kaida ducked her head and raised her eyebrows. What a horrible girl! She didn't want to start a fight, so she settled for ignoring the girl in return. She finished her meal, thanked John, and decided she would go for a walk to get out of the cramped accommodation. She knew the numbers would thin out later, but it was extremely claustrophobic with the current number of people in the building. She knew Nila would need to slip out later to be alone away from people accidentally jostling her.

It was summer and too early to be dark, but the light was fading slowly. Kaida walked slowly along with Cyndaquil beside her, breathing in the air. Everything was very still.

"Hurry up!" an impatient voice snapped.

It was the voice from Mr Pokémon's house. It was the thief!

Kaida's head whipped around. She saw the back of a head covered in dark hair. The boy in question wasn't wearing his cape this time, and from what she could glimpse, he also wasn't wearing his mask. She could finally catch sight of his face. She had to be quick as he was getting into a long, black car with tinted windows, and from her position to the side of it, she couldn't see the number plates.

By sheer luck, however, the boy glanced into the side mirror of car and spotted her. She could tell that he recognised her because he stiffened, turned to the two burly men standing beside him, and said, "Deal with her. She's a nuisance."

One of the men opened the rear door of the car to let the boy in while the other turned and advanced on Kaida, who immediately started to back off. He looked extremely dangerous. He wore a black suit, had a bulge where she expected a gun might be, and generally was so muscular he appeared to have no neck. Instead of the gun, he reached for a black Pokéball, which he twirled his hand. Perhaps he did not want to kill her, but it didn't mean she wasn't going to get very badly hurt.

The car with the boy in pulled away, leaving Kaida facing the muscled man. The man took several more steps towards her, stopped, and threw his Pokéball. A Golbat emerged. Kaida blanched. That thing was bigger than she was, and in comparison Cyndaquil was even tinier!

"Do not interfere again," the man intoned gruffly. "Air Cutter!"

Golbat swiped its wings and the air attack came rushing towards Kaida and Cyndaquil in a blast of vicious wind. Cyndaquil opened his mouth to expel fire in return, but that was buffeted backwards along with Kaida and Cyndaquil, who both flew back several metres, landing in a heap. Kaida groaned, shaken from the fall, but she soon snapped back to being alert when she realised her jacket was on fire. She rolled around on the ground to extinguish it, and leapt back up once this was done. Cyndaquil, badly weakened by the powerful Pokémon, staggered in front of her, but when Golbat swiped its wings again, Kaida didn't have much hope.

In a flash, another Pokémon was standing in between them and the Golbat. It was a large Pokémon, bigger than the Golbat, with a brown body, pink tail, and three fierce heads. A Dodrio! The Dodrio launched itself at the Golbat, pecking furiously, until the other Pokémon was driven backwards, flapping uselessly.

"Bullies," said a scornful voice.

It was Falkner. He flicked his blue hair and fixed his one visible eye on the bodyguard of the boy who had stolen Mr Pokémon's eggs.

"Get out of here," he snapped.

The bodyguard nodded wordlessly. He returned his Pokémon and rushed off as quickly as he could without breaking into a run.

"Are you OK?" Falkner asked.

Kaida nodded soundlessly. When Falkner continued to peer at her for signs of damage, Kaida forced herself to speak, saying, "Yeah. I'm good. Wow. You're strong."

Falkner nodded, finally stepping backwards now his concerns were assuaged. "Dodrio is one of the Pokémon I use in the Silver League Conference." This meant he wasn't allowed to use Dodrio in gym battles. Falkner looked a little amused at Kaida's awed expression. "Gym leaders are good at battling really, even if you might not get that impression from the newer, weaker Pokémon we use to fight in the gym challenges."

"You must have a lot of Pokémon," Kaida said, thinking that they needed a set for all the fighting they had to do during the weeks of challenging the gym, then even more Pokémon for the Conference itself.

Falkner's lips curved upwards. "You'll see my true power if you make it to the Conference."

"I will," Kaida said determinedly. "Maybe we'll battle there," she blustered. "I'll be strong enough then."

In the eight or so weeks it was until the Conference, Kaida would collect and train a host of fire Pokémon to combat Falkner. They'd burn his bird Pokémon to cinders! Well, not literally, but they'd definitely win.

"It's your first year," Falkner said, doubtfully. He shrugged. "Maybe you will be."

They were both distracted by a giggling sound, which was quickly muffled. Kaida and Falkner looked around to see a flash of orange hair as someone hid behind a bush. Falkner gave a longsuffering sigh.

"They've been following me," he told her. "I'm not sure why. I'm just walking about."

Kaida raised her eyebrows. "Wait, are they your fan club?"

She recalled the disturbing conversation that had taken place between Flo's friends. They had been way too young to be taking about what they had. Plus, even ignoring their own eccentric fashion, they had liked Falkner's socks, so they clearly had no taste. Kaida could see he was good-looking, but no one could pull off socks and sandals. It was revolting.

"I'd better be off," Falkner said, eyeing the bush, which was rustling, with distaste and confusion. "Get back to where you are staying safely."

He stalked off, his Dodrio striding by him. Kaida took a deep breath as she thought about her close call. She could only see one solution: she would get stronger so she would never be in that terrifying position again. The thief's bodyguards would be toast the next time she saw them.

She picked up Cyndaquil and hugged him tightly. He'd never get beaten by a stupid henchman's Golbat again.

* * *

John woke up to find a Caterpie next to his face. Groaning sleepily, he grabbed the Caterpie and threw the surprised Pokémon out of his tent and into some bushes. Caterpie let out a small squeak of surprise and then was silenced as it thudded into a tree stump, temporarily knocked out. Why was the tent flap open anyway, John wondered, looking blearily outside. It was then he caught sight of a Hoothoot disappearing between some trees. Wait, that was _his _Hoothoot.

John glanced back briefly. Dunsparce, as ever, was motionless, but Totodile was also relatively still. Even in his sleep Totodile thrashed about, waving his legs in the air and snapping his jaw contently from time to time, but he seemed to be momentarily peaceful.

Making sure to remain was quiet as possible, John crept along after Hoothoot. His footsteps were light on the soft grass, and he carefully avoided any twigs in his path. The trees were sufficient to block him from Hoothoot, who slowly flapped deeper into the forest. John continued to pursue the bird Pokémon, wondering where she could be going. They continued on for another minute or so and then Hoothoot stopped, sticking her beak into a hole in a tree. She appeared to be inspecting something. Everything seemed to be normal, as Hoothoot looked satisfied as she turned around.

Then she saw John and hooted loudly in shock.

"What have you got there?" John asked suspiciously, stalking towards his second Pokémon.

Hoothoot flapped her wings furiously at him, desperate for him to leave. John was not deterred. He walked up to the tree, pushed a sulky Hoothoot aside, and saw what his Pokémon had been hiding. Inside the hole in the tree, there was a small pile of jewellery, including bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and even the odd brooch. John didn't take long to put two and two together.

"Hoothoot!" He glared at the offending Pokémon. "You stole from Flo's mother?"

Hoothoot preened her wings and refused to answer.

"Bad Hoothoot!" John scolded. "Urgh, now I have to take this back."

It was nearing midnight when John reached Flo's house to return the stolen jewellery. In hindsight, he probably should have waited until the morning, but he had been eager to return it and prove they were not the thieves – it had been the devious Hoothoot all along.

"What?" Flo snapped, sticking her frazzled head out the door. She screamed when she saw who it was, desperately running her hands through her hair so she could look presentable. "I'm not ready for guests," she screeched. "I just went to bed!"

"Why did you answer the door then?" John asked, bemused.

Flo glared at him. "Mum will get angry if she's woken up!"

John wilted a little. Then, he said, "Well, I have something that might cheer your Mum up..." He reached into his bag and pulled out the stolen jewellery. "Here..."

"My jewellery!" came a screech.

Vera shoved Flo out of the way and yanked the door fully open. She snatched what John had in his hands and clutched it to her. Flo let out a small squeak as she fell backwards onto the rug.

"Where's the rest of it?" Vera demanded.

"Here," John said, pulling the rest out, and having it grabbed from him almost immediately. "I'm really sorry, Mrs Bell. It was my Hoothoot. She seems to like shiny stuff. Well, she seems to like stealing anything, but this time it was shiny stuff..." He trailed off awkwardly. "Anyway, I found where she was hiding it. I thought I'd better bring it back right away."

Vera didn't reply for a moment as she was too busy piling her jewellery up on the bookcase by the front door. She ran her hands over it, relieved to see its return. John got the last few bits out of his bag – some dangly earrings – and handed them over.

"I'm really sorry," he said again.

"Well," Vera said, scraping all the jewellery into a neater pile, "at least all of it is back..." She looked at Flo. "I guess this means you aren't grounded anymore."

Flo, still slumped down on the rug, looked much happier at that.

There was an awkward silence.

John coughed nervously. "Well, I'll be going then..." He got no response. Vera was still going through her jewellery, now inspecting them for signs of damage, which John had to admit might be there. Hoothoot's beak was fairly sharp... "OK. Bye!"

With that, he hurried off back to his tent. He had a Hoothoot to scold, but that could wait until the morning after he was well rested. He just hoped he wouldn't wake up with another bug in his face...


	10. Day 7

(DAY SEVEN)

Flo, happy about the lift on her grounding the previous night, was not pleased to see them when they turned up to say goodbye. She refused to answer the door, and when they continued to knock, she stuck her head out of her bedroom window instead.

"I hate you guys," she called down at them. "You got me grounded, you made my Bellsprout evolve into a Weepinbell so I can't enter the Dance-Off, you... You've all been awful!"

With that, she slammed her window shut and refused to speak to them anymore.

"Fine," Kaida yelled. "We're going now! Bye!"

John wanted to visit the Ruins of Alph. Kaida had protested at first – they were on a schedule – but John had persuaded them that it would be interesting and that they could make up the time.

"Come on," he wheedled. "It'll be a short visit. It'll be interesting."

They headed south west towards the Ruins of Alph. With Dunsparce and Hoothoot securely in their Pokéballs, John led the way with Totodile skipping to keep up with his long, striding pace. Kaida, who followed more slowly, had Cyndaquil perched on her shoulder and backpack, while Nila and Chikorita were in the middle.

"You know," John said, looking up from his guidebook, "this has a surprising amount of information about the Ruins of Alph in. Not the most recent discoveries, of course, but that's only to be expected. Did you know they actually caught video footage of a few of the Unown from hidden cameras a few years ago? Amazing. I think I saw that on the news..."

The Ruins of Alph did not look like much at first glance. There were a few crumbling remains of what might have been walls, but the site had been buried so the more impressive remnants were underground. John's face, however, filled with awe at the sight of the lumps of ground that lay over the tombs of the Unown.

Kaida knew a little of the Unown. She knew that archaeologists had found ancient structures filled with strange symbols that seemed to make up a foreign language, which was in the process of being translated into their own, and that they were linked to several areas across the land, including ruins in Sinnoh and the Sevii Islands. The Pokémon themselves were elusive, but rumour had it that they looked the same as the symbols on the walls of the places that they frequented. There were also often pictures of legendary Pokémon, such as the legendary beasts, where they were.

"This place looks better every time I see it," John marvelled.

"Eh?" Kaida said. "You've been here before?"

John nodded. "Of course. My mum has driven me here plenty of times."

Kaida growled. "Then why were you so desperate to come here?" she demanded.

John gave her a look of surprise, as if he couldn't fathom why she was asking the question. "So you would see it, of course."

Kaida smacked her hand to her head. "OK, been here, saw it, let's go."

"No," John insisted. "You have to take a tour!"

Kaida looked to Nila for support, but to her horror she saw Nila looking quite interested by the ruins. Damn it. You couldn't rely on brainiacs for anything! She saw Nila's eyes rove over the site and resigned herself to staying there. It looked like John was going to get his way despite Kaida's protestations.

John led them over to a small, modern building with several sheds nearby it. Ahead of them, a man sipping a large mug walked into the building, the door slamming shut behind him. They reached the door a few seconds later and John hammered on it with his fist. It swung back open and the man with the mug reappeared. He squinted for a moment and then his expression cleared.

"John," he said happily. He peered over the top of John to look at Kaida and Nila. "Who are your female friends?"

"Kaida and Nila," John introduced them. "This is Daichi."

Daichi was of average height and had a friendly smile. Black hair peeked out from underneath his hard hat, presumably mandatory for excavation underground, and his face had faint traces of laugh lines. His shoulders were broad and his arms muscled; obviously archaeology had a lot more physical labour involved than Kaida had first anticipated. She had always pictured them scraping the ground with trowels and dusting artefacts off, but here they were doing a lot of digging.

"Nice to meet you," Daichi said genially.

Kaida tried to wave, but with Cyndaquil in her arms it was a little difficult. She settled for nodding and smiling instead. Nila, who did have free arms, nodded anyway.

"You're just in time, John," Daichi announced, clapping his large hands together. "We just made a major find."

John's eyes widened in excitement and he leant forwards eagerly.

"Come see for yourself," Daichi offered. He glanced to Kaida and Nila. "You two can come as well." He went inside the building and returned with three hard hats. "Here you go. Smallest ones I could find. Now, leave your stuff here and follow me."

Nila eyed the dirty hat dubiously before she put it on her head. Kaida found the hat still hung loose even after she had adjusted it to the smallest it would go. John, on the other hand, was completely comfortable.

He led them across the site. There were various holes of various sizes dug into the ground that they had to go around, and inside those holes were workers scraping the ground with trowels, brushes, and other specialised equipment. Kaida spotted a Machoke helping to move several heavy objects and saw a man accepting a message from a Pidgey with particularly tufted feathers. There were also some people entering the mounds – which were places where the earth had piled up on the ancient buildings – and they all wore hardhats. They approached one of these mounds, and after Daichi spoke with one of the men outside it for a moment, they were led inside.

Even Kaida had to admit her curiosity was piqued. There were strange symbols carved in neat lines all over the inside of the ruins – symbols in the shapes of the Unown – and in the middle there was a strange altar. As they approached it, Kaida saw it was actually some sort of tablet with tiles slotted nearly into squares. However, the majority of the tiles were missing and the picture was incomplete.

"We've found the missing tiles," Daichi told John proudly. "We're about to put them into place."

An ancient box was brought forward by an old, spindly man with thick glasses. He placed it on the floor beside the tablet and opened it. Inside Kaida saw there were too many tiles to fill this tablet. Some of them had to go elsewhere. The men seemed to have figured out which tiles went where, as the pile on top was taken out and they began to arrange the pieces. John leaned forward in anticipation.

"It looks like a Kabuto!" he gushed.

Daichi clapped John in the shoulder. "You've got it," he agreed. "There are things like these in all the mounds, and we think they all show different ancient Pokémon. Most of them seem to be ones we've managed to bring back from fossils with new technology, but there are a few mysteries." As the last few tiles were being slotted into place, Daichi cleared his throat and said, "Hey, why don't we let John put the last piece in?"

John looked like he might explode with joy. He took the last piece with shaking hands and the other archaeologists backed off as he stepped up to put the tile into place. There were a few flashes as cameras went off. Then, John reached forward and pushed the final piece into the puzzle.

The cheer that arose almost masked the ominous clunking sound – almost.

The grinding sound was actually the floor underneath John. After the final tile was pushed into place it had rolled back, so, with a surprised cry, John fell down. The cheers turned into gasps and everyone rushed towards the hole.

"Are you OK?" Daichi called urgently.

There was a long silence before they heard a groan.

"I'm fine," John called. It hadn't been a long drop, and while he would probably suffer from some bad bruises, he was otherwise all right. He blinked into the darkness. He could see a little way around him because of the light from above: without that he would have been blind. John stood up and groaned again as his body protested. "Just bruised," he yelled up to assure the people above. "Ow. Wait... _What's that_?"

Silence.

John squinted into the black at the movement he had seen. The approaching object became clearer by the second until John was faced with something he had never expected to see. It was an eye. The eye was surrounded by a black circle, and attached to that by a line underneath the eye was a larger circle.

Unown.

"John?" someone called.

John blinked as the Unown whizzed away, startled by the sound.

"John, we're sending someone down! We think you're in our underground cavern. We have a ladder into there. Someone will be there soon."

It took John a moment to swallow and wet his dry throat. "Yeah," he croaked. "I'll just... wait." With rising disappointment, he realised the Unown was unlikely to come back. He should have reacted quicker and tried to take a picture.

A few minutes later John saw the familiar beams of torches heading towards him. The lights appeared abruptly from around a corner and he began to see the chamber had a very strange layout. As Daichi and a female archaeologist led John back out, John noticed that – while the chamber itself was even and rectangular – it was dissected by alternating walls, forcing them to take much longer walking around them. The walls, whenever torches were shone on them, revealed more of the script of the Unown in seemingly endless, neat and parallel lines. When they finally reached the ladder, John climbed up the sturdy rungs and found himself blinking as his head emerged into the fierce daylight.

"I saw one." John waited until both Daichi and the woman were out of the chamber before he told them. "It was an Unown!"

Daichi and the woman both looked astounded.

"You actually saw one?" the woman hissed. "How can you be sure?"

"Well," John said pragmatically, "it came right up to me and looked like two circles. It was definitely like one the symbols on the wall."

The woman's scepticism changed to excitement as she began to babble. "This is amazing. We've heard of sightings at sites like these, but we've only ever seen strange movements out of the corner of our eyes... it has been dismissed by some people as a rumour... overactive imaginations at play..."

"I definitely saw it," John affirmed. "I can show you which one it was."

Kaida and Nila greeted John outside the mound. John brushed them off in favour of rushing inside to scan the walls. Daichi followed him closely as he scanned the wall and found the Unown he was looking for.

"Here," John said, his finger millimetres away from the wall. "This one."

Daichi's face split into an enormous grin. "You have to draw it for us. Tell me exactly what happened!"

Meanwhile, Kaida and Nila, recognising John was now immersed in talking to the archaeologists about his discovery, went to sit outside. The archaeologists had begun to bring in their expensive equipment to analyse the tiles and the tablet. The tiles were now refusing to come out and the archaeologists did not want to apply more force in case they broke.

"It's so boring," Kaida groused, rubbing her neck.

"It's OK," Nila defended.

"Well, why aren't you in there?"

"They're x-raying the place," Nila replied. "They don't need more people in the way."

Kaida responded with a shrug and then winced. "My neck hurts," she complained.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Kaida said. She took off the hard hat and glared at it. "It's holding up my head?"

"It is a large head," Nila said dourly. "Your poor, poor neck."

Kaida glared. "Smaller than yours!"

"All of you is smaller than me."

She had a point. Kaida continued to glare anyway.

John and Daichi emerged again at around lunch time with sandwiches. It didn't take John long to find them even though Kaida and Nila had wandered off to a more secluded part of the site to train their Pokémon against each other. In his hand he clutched a large paper report of research.

"This is incredible," John said as he flipped through pages of their research. "I definitely want to become a Pokémon Researcher."

"You're a bit too young at the moment," Daichi said fondly. "In a few years time you should come back. We'll definitely take you on."

"I'll have missed all the food stuff," John said. If he had a sulky tone then he was using it. However, to most ears it just sounded a little disappointed.

Daichi shook his head. "Definitely not. There will always be more to discover. You've got a quick mind – and a lot of luck – so you're just the sort of person we want."

John beamed with pride. In a few years time he was almost certainly going to return to join their research team. Until then he had a lot more discovering to do in other areas of Pokémon.

"And you could work here or the Sevii Islands or even Sinnoh if you are interested in the Unown," Daichi added. "I'm going over to Solaceon in Sinnoh soon. They've found two different symbols over there."

John's eyes boggled. Apparently he hadn't heard this news yet.

"They're publishing information in the JOPA soon," Daichi explained. To Kaida's blank look, he added, "Journal of Pokémon Archaeology."

John gave Kaida an accusing look. "You've never read it?"

"No!" Kaida flailed. "I'm normal!"

John's look was making Kaida feel as if she had committed a criminal offense – which was ridiculous. She was twelve years old. She generally didn't browse journals most commonly used by specialists and university students as a pastime. She glanced over at Nila for support, but Nila was sporting a look best described as guilty. It was Kaida's turn to be accusing.

"What?" Nila said grumpily. "I like to read."

Kaida huffed. Was she the only sane one around?

John was looking at Nila with new interest. "Which articles did you read?"

"She reads _everything_," Kaida muttered.

Nila mentioned an article about the old belief that Unown were the building blocks of the universe.

"There's still the belief that Unown are the building blocks of Pokémon," Daichi told them. "There are depictions of the legendary Pokémon in the chambers of the Unown. In Ecruteak they show them alongside the legendary dogs. Then there is the myth about Unown opening holes in realities."

It rang a bell, but Kaida had thought that it had more to do with the legends of Palkia and Dialga in Sinnoh.

"The myth goes that once there was a world without Pokémon," John told Kaida. "We lived with animals and plants, of course, but there were no Pokémon until the Unown breached the wall in this dimension in Mount Coronet in Sinnoh at Spear Pillar. There, they brought Pokémon into being. Arceus came first, along with the beings of time and space – Dialga and Palkia – and Arceus moulded the world, creating Pokémon. So, because they came from Arceus, and so from another dimension, they had powers beyond the physical possibilities of our reality. Therefore, while weak by themselves, collectively the Unown hold a greater power than anything else.

Cyndaquil had snuggled closer to Kaida during the story, looking a little unnerved. Kaida patted her Pokémon reassuringly. On the other hand, Chikorita looked emboldened. She made herself as tall as she could next to Nila until Totodile, restless and dancing from foot to foot, knocked into her.

"We have had more and more alleged sightings of Unown recently," Daichi said, "so we hope this means we will be able to discover more about them. If we are lucky, John's sighting today will only be the beginning." Daichi was practically salivating at this point.

They polished off their lunch, disposed of the rubbish, and returned to the main site. Daichi jabbered on to John about different sediments – so Kaida tuned out – but her attention was caught again by an unpleasantly familiar sight. Two men dressed in suits – looking glaringly out of place – were joined by a shorter youth, whose black hooded jumper and dark hair shadowed his face. Kaida's eyes narrowed. It couldn't be...

But, before she could say anything, the trio had disappeared from sight. She whirled around and grabbed Nila's arm, shocking the taller girl.

"Don't touch me–ouch–Kaida–what?"

"I saw the thief from Mr Pokémon's house," Kaida blurted. "The one who attacked me last night! He's here."

Nila initially looked sceptical, but when Kaida tugged her arm again she conceded. "Fine. Just... let my arm go."

Kaida released Nila and hurried off in the direction she had seen the masked moron and his cronies, but, unfortunately, several archaeologists carrying heavy toolkits and canvasses stumbled by, delaying Nila and Kaida briefly. Much to Kaida's frustration, the pause was enough for them to lose sight of their target.

"We have to find him," she growled. "Who knows what that thief is doing now?"

Nila looked troubled. "He'd better not disturb the historical artefacts."

Kaida rolled her eyes – was Nila now John? There was a lot more at risk than that: she wasn't exactly sure _what_, but she doubted the masked boy was too interested in archaeology. Stealing from Mr. Pokémon suggested he wanted Pokémon – powerful ones – a lot more. Kaida couldn't quite envision what powerful Pokémon would be doing on an archaeological site, however. There were a couple of Machoke to help with heavy lifting, some Pidgey used to carry messages, and she'd seen some Voltorb used as glowing lanterns underground – probably with the flash ability that Cyndaquil had learnt at Sprout Tower – but not a lot more. Certainly nothing rare or particularly strong! Still, she thought she'd double check with Nila anyway.

"Powerful Pokémon? Here?" Nila was dubious. "Writings about powerful Pokémon, maybe. There are the translations of the Unown which talk about legendaries... but no actual legendaries, of course... unless, maybe he's trying to get a lot of Unown...?"

But Kaida doubted he was trying to get his hands on many Unown. She swerved to the side, ignoring Nila's confused yell, and started towards the low, temporary buildings the archaeologists were using to store their work in. She broke into a run. Cyndaquil squeaked at the sudden speed and hung on more tightly to her shoulder; he finally gave that up and clung to her neck as well. It was a few seconds before the bewildered Nila caught up with her – Kaida often cursed Nila's longer legs – and they reached the huts at roughly the same time. Kaida flung open one of the doors – lock snapped clean off it already – and burst in on the bizarrely-clad boy sitting at one of the computers, quite obliviously downloading information.

"You!" Kaida seethed.

The boy looked up. His face was shrouded by the hood, but Kaida saw a prominent nose and the same dark eyes before he turned away.

"You," the boy repeated, sounding thoroughly irritated. "Don't you ever learn? Leave me alone!"

"I'll leave you alone if you stop stealing!" Kaida blustered.

The boy didn't reply. Instead he clicked his fingers and the two bodyguards advanced on Kaida and Nila. Cyndaquil leapt from Kaida's back to the floor where he fired up his flame. He stood between the bodyguards and his trainer determinedly.

The boy snorted. "They've dealt with that runt easily enough before."

If she were a cartoon, steam would be pouring from Kaida's ears.

"Runt?" she yelled. "Cyndaquil's not a runt! He's perfectly proportioned!"

Nila stifled a laugh despite the situation. One did not make disparaging comments about size around Kaida without fearing the consequences, unless perhaps you were an oblivious Flo or knew Kaida as well as Nila did. Clearly this boy was an idiot. It was going to get ugly.

The man released his Golbat again, and despite his defeat the previous night, Cyndaquil stood steadfastly.

"Hang on a second," Nila said, putting her arms up to halt the battle. "We can't fight in here." Her tone was condescending as she said, "In case you idiots hadn't noticed, this is a very confined space with a lot of important equipment and research notes."

Of course, she was ignored. The bodyguard's Golbat leered at Cyndaquil.

"Thanks for reminding me," the boy said, pulling his memory stick from the computer and grabbing several notebooks that were set beside it. "These look like they haven't been copied yet."

"Back away from the historical documents," Nila said, now equally incensed.

"Air Cutter!" the bodyguard intoned to his Golbat.

As the large bat swooped at Cyndaquil, presumably to cause as much damage as it had before, Nila stepped back to let Mareep and Chikorita forward into the cabin.

"Mareep, Thundershock!"

Electricity crackled between Mareep's horns and shot at Golbat. Golbat had only been paying attention to Cyndaquil, so the bolt of electricity – its weakness – took it quite by surprise. It was flung sideways, crashing into the wall and leaving a large dent. As it stumbled back up – restricted due to its large mass being contained in such a small space – it was thudded into by both Chikorita and Mareep in a joint Tackle and Body Slam attack.

"Now," Nila began sternly, "put down the important historical information."

Just as Golbat hadn't been expecting a second – and third – attack from the side, both Nila and Kaida were unprepared when the second bodyguard used _his _Golbat to blast them out through the door, their Pokémon along with them. They landed painfully and rolled several feet, limbs jarring and tangling together. By the time Nila and Kaida had extracted themselves from the pile and were rubbing bruised limbs, the boy, the two bodyguards, and the two Golbat were out of the cabin.

"Thieves!" Kaida yelled, which attracted attention from surrounding archaeologists. "They've stolen your research and... stuff." She finished off quite lamely, but she'd got her point across.

"Machoke," one of the archaeologists called, "get over here!"

Two Machoke came lumbering over, flexing their strong arms.

"Golbat, Air Cutter!"

One of the Golbat swooped forward and swept over both of the Machoke, who tried to swing their arms out to hit their opponent but failed. Dismally, both Kaida and Nila realised that these Machoke had not been trained to fight. They got up again and faced the Golbat nonetheless, but they were horribly outmatched. It took two of them to even try to contain the one Golbat for the moment. While this was happening, the boy and his bodyguards were slipping away under the protection of the other Golbat.

No. Kaida wouldn't let that happen.

"Cyndaquil, Ember!"

The Ember struck the Golbat and did a little damage, which was good enough for Kaida. Golbat soon sent Cyndaquil flying backwards, and Kaida was lucky Cyndaquil's flame was extinguished when she caught him. She dug her feet into the ground so she didn't stumble from the force of the tiny Pokémon hitting her chest.

"Kaida? Nila?" The voice was John's. "What's going on?"

John had arrived at the sound of the commotion with Daichi.

"Thieves," Nila replied succinctly, and as Kaida set Cyndaquil back on the ground she ordered Mareep to use Thundershock again. Golbat swooped at Mareep but Chikorita covered the electric Pokémon by striking Golbat with Razor Leaf, which, while fairly ineffectual, at least was distracting.

"The one who attacked you last night?" John asked.

At the same time, Daichi muttered, "I'll deal with this!" and stomped off.

"Yep," Kaida said to John, and, almost immediately afterwards, she ordered, "Ember!"

John's face turned grave. He did not like this boy: stealing Pokémon and historical documents, potentially disturbing and destroying an archaeological site, and attacking his friend. He didn't take long to join the fray, ordering his Totodile to blast the Golbat attacking the Machoke with Water Gun.

With both Golbat busy defending themselves on three fronts, some of the archaeologists were moving towards the boy and his bodyguards with the intention of stopping them and retrieving the documents themselves. However, this attempt was foiled when the boy reached to his belt – tucked beneath his hoodie – and withdrew a solid black Pokéball (customised, Kaida thought, as she'd never seen one like it). He drew the ball back and cried, "Go, Onix!"

The enormous Pokémon burst out from the black Pokéball, forcing the archaeologists backwards. It reared up and swiped its tail outwards, almost hitting the cabins behind it.

"Stop them," the boy ordered.

Golbat, in sync with the Onix, flew upwards as Onix used its mighty tail to knock Cyndaquil, Mareep, and Chikorita aside. Nila grabbed Kaida by the shoulders and tugged her backwards so they both missed the blow. Kaida had been concentrating on Cyndaquil, and she rushed to his side as soon as she could. He was dazed and confused, but otherwise all right. Kaida was so relieved that she didn't hear Nila's yell of alarm as Onix reared up behind her, preparing to strike again.

Mareep and Chikorita both leapt to Kaida's defence. Mareep's electric attack was completely ineffective against the part ground-type Pokémon, but Chikorita's Razor Leaf stung. The attack that saved Kaida from harm was, however, Totodile's, as his Water Gun, from the other side of Onix, hit the great Pokémon in the eye. Onix, a hater of water, roared and drew backwards, shaking its large head as it recovered.

But it wouldn't be long before it did recover and evidently it was much more powerful than anything Nila, John, Kaida, or the archaeologists had to offer.

Until – "Ah ha!"

Daichi's cry turned many heads as he came tearing back around the corner. Kaida wasn't sure what to expect: did he have a super powerful Pokémon of his own or had he alerted the police? What he had actually done turned out to be even better. As Daichi pointed to the sky, they all saw a dot becoming larger and larger as something – someone – plummeted downwards. A few seconds later, Falkner landed on a Skarmory. He leapt off gracefully, landing lightly, and the image was only ruined by Nila and Kaida wincing, once again, at the fact that he was wearing socks with sandals.

"Who is this?" the boy asked one of his bodyguards, causing Kaida to glare. He didn't even know the gym leaders of Johto! His accent was clearly from their region, too, so she doubted he had the excuse of living in Kanto or somewhere farther afield.

Falkner took it in his stride. "I'm Falkner," he said simply, with a swish of his fringe, before ordering Skarmory to strike.

Skarmory was a blur. It rescued the struggling Machoke with a flash of its silver wings, and then it turned on the other Golbat. Onix, recovered from Totodile's lucky shot, lunged forwards, but Skarmory spun out of the way in the nick of time and slash down, the steel attack causing extra damage to the giant rock-ground Pokémon. The bodyguard was forced to return is Golbat to its Pokéball, but Onix was not yet beaten. It opened its mouth and used Dragon Breath. The dragon move hit Skarmory, but Skarmory was unmoved, simply taking the attack in its stride before slashing out another Steel Wing attack. As Onix crashed down, mercifully avoiding both people and the cabins, Skarmory moved as a blur to strike the other Golbat and save Kaida and Nila's Pokémon. It took one more blow to finish that Golbat off before the fearsome steel bird turned back to Onix to strike again.

Kaida was very impressed afterwards, as she had not noticed Falkner's Hoothoot sneaking behind them all to seize the research papers from the boy's bag, which it pulled open itself. It flew the research papers back into Falkner's hands, which was the point everybody else – Kaida included – spotted what the little bird had done. One of the archaeologists looked like he might cry in relief.

Meanwhile, Falkner's powerful Skarmory was finishing off Onix, and the boy, furious when he realised the papers were gone, and even more annoyed as he realised he was losing, cried out, "Smokescreen!"

It was not the Pokémon move. Instead, it was some sort of gadget imitation that one of the bodyguards pulled out of their black jacket. It didn't take long for Skarmory to blow the smoke away with its wings, but by then the Onix, the boy, and the bodyguards were gone.

"Thank you, thank you," one of the archaeologists gushed.

It was the same one who had been close to crying. He grabbed Falkner's arm and hugged him, which seemed to irk Falkner as he had put one sandaled foot forwards as if he had been planning to pursue the thieves. Every second he was delayed was a second more they had to escape him permanently.

"I hadn't copied these up–they were all new–thank you so much–I can't even–"

Falkner tried to extract himself from the man's grip but failed. Other archaeologists started to crowd around him, further impeding him. With a sigh, he seemed to give up.

"Everything's fine." He placated them, patting the man awkwardly on the head. "Just get a better lock and some better guards – and thank you."

The last part was addressed to Daichi, who wrenched the sobbing man away from Falkner. The man was still muttering his gratitude as Daichi steered him towards the cabin with the instruction of coping the notes up before any sort of incident could happen again.

"He downloaded stuff onto a memory stick, too," Kaida informed Falkner and Daichi when the archaeologists had cleared away a bit so she could reach them.

Daichi was troubled. "I don't think I want to know what he'll do with them," he fretted. "It's not like he could have wanted to take them to take credit for the information – everyone will know he's a thief then. To be honest, there's not a lot he can do. We don't have much information that's not public or won't be public shortly."

"He probably wants legendaries," Kaida guessed.

Daichi snorted. "Well, I doubt he'll get far with that. Don't you think we'd be tracking them down if we could?"

Falkner still looked concerned. "Forward me the information," he instructed. "I'll take a look at it."

"You're supposed to be off duty," Daichi said, patting Falkner's shoulder. "Sorry about this. I know you were busy with the gym stuff since it's summer, and Sunday is probably your day off."

At Kaida's confused look, Falkner said, "You don't think the Pokémon Association pay gym leaders enough to live on, do you?" He sounded faintly amused.

"I know _that_," Kaida said, unwisely trying to cross her arms across her chest defensively when Cyndaquil was in her arms. She quickly soothed the Pokémon before saying, "What do you do then?"

"He's in the police cadets," Daichi said eagerly, answering for the young gym leader. "He just started this year. He's sped through most of the basics on account of his Pokémon skill. He won't be doing grunt work with the ordinary lads, that's for sure."

Falkner seemed a little uncomfortable with Daichi now. His body shifted subtly away from the man as Daichi spoke, and once Daichi was finished he pulled away to examine Skarmory and pat his bird Pokémon on the beak. "I need to get back," he said. "I'll fly over and see if I can spot the thieves... but they're probably gone." With that, he jumped onto Skarmory, but not without a parting word to Kaida, saying casually, "You really need to stop getting yourself in trouble."

Kaida blushed and shrugged helplessly. She said nothing but, "Thanks." She then cuddled the bruised Cyndaquil more firmly to her as Falkner soared off on Skarmory, his little Hoothoot flapping behind him until it joined him on Skarmory by settling on his shoulder in a rather precarious position.

While Kaida had been informing Falkner and Daichi about the memory stick, Nila had checked on her own Pokémon, praising them briefly before lecturing Mareep that it was pointless to use electricity on a ground Pokémon, and that she should perform a different move the next time.

"Not that Body Slam," she permitted grudgingly, "would have done much good either. It would have been like me head-butting my house and expecting it to fall over."

John praised a gleeful Totodile for his shot to Onix's eye, but the Pokémon could only pay attention to John's words for so long before he danced off to irritate Chikorita, all seriousness gone now the fight was over.

Kaida returned to see Nila, who tried to use her foot to try to keep Totodile to stay away from Chikorita as she listened to Kaida's grumbling.

"We seriously need to get that guy," Kaida complained.

"We'll have to get a lot stronger first," Nila said. She rebutted Totodile as he tried to go behind her. "John!" she called, hoping he would come to deal with his mischievous Pokémon.

"Eh." John waved a hand lazily from several metres away. "Come back, Totodile." As usual, Totodile paid him no mind whatsoever, but John didn't seem to care and gave up. Nila scowled.

Kaida, oblivious, was still busy plotting her revenge. "And he called Cyndaquil a runt!" she objected. "You're perfect," she cooed to Cyndaquil. "You don't need to change!" Cyndaquil squeaked happily in her arms at these words. Satisfied that his feelings weren't hurt due to her 'damage control,' Kaida hissed to Nila, "A _runt_! That guy must pay!"

"Of course," Nila said patronisingly, although she agreed. It wasn't for the same reasons, though.

It was with many thanks from the archaeologists that they left the Ruins of Alph later on that day, planning to reach a campsite slightly farther south where they would have shower and toilet facilities as well as, hopefully, fuel for the fire so they didn't have to gather wood. John was disappointed about having to leave at such a crucial point in the research, but he was also eager to explore new places with Kaida and Nila.

They had scarcely set off when they heard a cry from behind them.

"Hey!" the voice yelled.

They turned to see Flo struggling with a large backpack in her mother's car – it was a bit too tall and so she was jammed in the door. Finally, she managed to free herself and she caught up with them after a few minutes, huffing and puffing from running. Weepinbell, who had been hidden from view by her enormous bag in the car, bounced up behind her.

"Uh, hello?" Kaida said, confused.

They were all perplexed.

"You thought you could leave without me?" Flo demanded, ignoring the fact that she had told them to go away and refused to speak to them. She jabbed Kaida in the chest with her finger. "You," she said crossly, "owe me a Bellsprout! It's your fault my Bellsprout evolved and I can't enter the Dance Off without it! I need to catch and train another Bellsprout now, so you are going to help me." She scowled. "And you'll help me catch cute Pokémon, too, since Weepinbell is ugly now."

Weepinbell, just behind his trainer, deflated. He looked extremely dejected. Apparently, he now had realised that evolving had not been his best move.

"Again," Nila murmured to Kaida, "since when was Bellsprout considered _cute_?"

Kaida couldn't reply as Flo continued to talk.

"You owe me!" Flo repeated. "You're helping me! I'm coming with you!"

Kaida sighed. It looked like Flo was joining the company.


	11. Day 8

(DAY EIGHT)

The route between Violet City and Azalea Town was, in most places, a valley, surrounded by steep sides that ranged from large hills covered with dense forests to short mountains with less foliage, especially nearer the top. The campsite was tucked next to one of the hills by a developing stream. John had collected fresh water from this with delight: it was cool and refreshing and he thought it tasted better than anything that came out of taps.

The next day they woke up at the campsite to find that it was raining, but Kaida had a plan. She had purchased a special umbrella that she could strap to Cyndaquil's back. Admittedly, if he lit his flame then it would burn to a cinder, but she could always remove it when he needed to battle. This way Cyndaquil was protected from the rain and his back wouldn't be too wet if he needed to use his fire moves in a battle. Also, the cold and wet was bound to make him miserable, and Kaida certainly didn't want that.

When she had finished strapping the umbrella onto Cyndaquil's back, she stood back to admire her handiwork. Then she squealed. Cyndaquil looked _adorable_. He also looked a little confused, but that just made it even sweeter. He was so cute!

"What's for breakfast?" came a demanding voice.

Flo, it appeared, did not like camping. Before, between Cherrygrove and Violet City, she had camped in John's tent, but now she had her own tiny, yellow and green tent, and she had required John's assistance (simple as it was) to put it up. She had complained about the food John had bought from the campsite shop (they didn't have much to offer) and had whined that it was taking too long over the fire.

"I have eggs and toast," John said. He was crouched over the frying pan underneath a make-shift marquee that the campsite had leant them. "Scrambled or fried?"

Flo wrinkled her nose. "We had toast and beans last night."

John almost looked like he was going to lose his patience with her, but he managed to recover. "Flo, we're camping," he said slowly. "We're lucky when we have food that isn't energy blocks."

Energy blocks were packed with all sorts of goodness, could keep someone going for quite some time despite their size, and were not tasty at all. It was sort of like eating sawdust tinted with a fruity flavour, except it was good for you. They were a necessity for people hiking from gym to gym because there were not always campsites (such as between New Bark Town to Violet City) that sold food and it was difficult to carry too much.

Flo looked resentful, but she did seem to enjoy the scrambled eggs that John gave her. She spent a moment scratching a charred bit from her toast but polished off the rest quite quickly.

Nila returned from using the campsite shower. She did not look happy. They were exceptionally poor facilities, but Nila preferred to be clean and cold than dirty. She disappeared into the tent she shared with Kaida and brought out her Pokéballs, sending out Mareep and Chikorita to join Gastly and Cyndaquil.

"Pokéchow," Kaida offered, pouring some into the unremarkable bowl that Nila had brought along for her Pokémon. Chikorita and Mareep quickly dug in. "Are there any showers free?"

Nila nodded.

Kaida sighed and stood up. She had better get used to cleaning when she could, even if it wasn't going to be pleasant. Her Pokémon dream was worth it!

While Kaida showered, Nila was happier as she ate her eggs and drank some milk acquired from the shop. However, she couldn't properly savour her milk as Flo kept interrupting her by asking questions. At first, Nila tried to ignore her, but the short girl was persistent.

"How long do you have to do the gyms?" Flo asked.

Nila reluctantly took her mouth away from the milk and swallowed. "Eight weeks," she said quickly so she could return to her delicious drink.

"Then what?"

John, thankfully, answered for Nila. "They have a week to get the Pokémon League Conference Cup," he explained. "There they battle all others who got eight badges – and the gym leaders – in a tournament. If you come high enough then you get your chance to face the Elite Four and regional champion."

"Who's that?" Flo queried.

She really knew nothing.

"Kanto and Johto share the Elite Four," Nila replied, not really answering the question. She was too busy with her milk.

She didn't expand, so John was forced to. "At the moment they are Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Karin, and the champion is Lance."

Flo nodded slowly. She seemed to have lost interest as she had no idea who these people were. She looked a little longingly at Nila's toast – still unfinished – but was distracted when Kaida returned to the camp dripping wet. She was shivering: the shower had been awful. Cyndaquil tried to comfort her but he was impeded by the umbrella on his back and couldn't get close. Gastly sniggered.

There was a whooshing sound as John's tent suddenly collapsed. John slapped his forehead and was ready to berate Totodile when he saw the blue Pokémon was trying to steal food from Chikorita and Mareep's bowl so was nowhere near the tent. Confused, John got up to investigate.

"Huh," he said, confused. "Wait..." He had spotted something. "What's this?"

Another little blue Pokémon meandered into their camp, looking completely unafraid. It had no arms, a large head, and a tail that thumped the ground behind it. On its chest were three darker stripes, and it had antennae with two sets of spikes on each side of its face. Nila picked up her Pokédex. She knew it was a Wooper, of course, but her Pokédex identified it as a male one.

"Woop!" the little Pokémon said cheerfully. He plodded forward to inspect the fire, knocking some of the branches so they fell onto the ground. Luckily, the grass was wet so they didn't set it alight.

"Aww," Flo cooed. "It's so cute!"

Wooper looked up at the sound but kept walking. The result was he tripped and fell straight into the bowl of food that Chikorita and Mareep had been trying to protect from Totodile. Chikorita twirled her leaf threateningly, but it was Mareep that shocked the Pokémon with a warning spark. Wooper blinked uncomprehendingly at the electric Pokémon and Nila sighed.

"Ground type," she told Mareep.

Mareep proceeded to head butt Wooper out of the bowl instead.

"I want it!" Flo declared, looking to Kaida who was packing her shower stuff back into Nila's bag.

Wooper, meanwhile, was tiptoeing in attempt to peer into the pan of scrambled eggs that John had left on the tree stump that was their make-shift table. He tried to climb onto the table, but with no arms he kept slipping. Eventually he managed to get up there, but knocked the pan and the rest of the eggs onto the floor, then rolled and knocked some cups filled with orange juice down too.

"My orange juice!" John cried, swatting Wooper away before he could do more damage.

Wooper wobbled and fell from the tree trunk. He looked disorientated for a few seconds before he began to wander away from them, back into the trees on the edge of the campsite.

"Kaida!" Flo whined. "It's cute!"

"Well, go catch it," Nila said impatiently, jerking her head in the direction that it had left in.

"But... I... I don't know how," Flo hesitated.

John's forehead creased into a frown. "You caught a Hoppip."

"Uh," Flo muttered. She looked to Kaida. Yes, that hadn't been a conventional catch. It hadn't taken much to acquire that particular Pokémon. "Kaida owes me," she blurted.

"I owe you a Bellsprout," Kaida said, annoyed, "not every damn thing you see that you want."

Flo sulked.

"Urgh," Kaida said, dropping Nila's bag onto the floor, much to Nila's irritation. "I'll come help you. Let's go. Bring your Pokéballs."

Kaida stomped off towards the trees and Flo had to jog to catch up with her. The little Wooper had headed in the direction of the stream, and, when they reached it, they saw several fishermen a little downstream perched miserable under mini marquees. It didn't look like they were having much success. Wooper was inspecting a pile of twigs by the river, looking disproportionately fascinated by their varying shapes. He prodded them with his tail and looked endlessly amused when some rolled away.

"Hey." It was John, who had put out the fire and followed them with Nila. "Got it yet?"

"We only just got here," Kaida told him, exasperated. "OK, Flo," she instructed, "send out your Pokémon."

"Go, Hoppip!" Flo cried.

The floating pink ball emerged, the leaves on its head fluttering in the gentle wind.

"Use..." Flo drew a blank. "What does it know?"

"Splash," Kaida said quickly.

"Splash!"

Hoppip bobbed up and down in the air. Wooper's attention was drawn from the pile of sticks to the flailing Pokémon. He looked bemused.

"Oh," Flo said, disappointed. She looked to Kaida. "Is that the attack that is useless?"

"Yes," Kaida said. She muttered under her breath, "Idiot. I told you this."

Nila frowned. "Is that really the only attack it knows?"

"It is the only attack it _ever_ learns," Kaida said firmly, giving Nila a significant look.

Nila raised her eyebrows slightly but quieted.

"No it–" John started.

Kaida dug her heel into John's foot. Despite his thick walking shoes, he yelled out in pain.

"I guess I'll have to use Weepinbell," Flo uttered slowly. "Come on, Weepinbell."

Weepinbell, who had been out of his Pokéball and skulking behind her, ignored, for the whole time, did not look particularly enthused as he went forwards towards the Wooper, who freaked out at the sight of it and dived in the stream.

"What?" Flo objected. "No fair!"

Nila rolled her eyes. Catching Pokémon wasn't about _fairness_.

"Use Vine Whip," Kaida suggested. She was amused by Flo's inadequacy but she didn't want her to completely fail. Not really. "You can use Weepinbell to pull Wooper out if you're quick."

"Yeah do that," Flo said enthusiastically.

Weepinbell obeyed, dipping his vines into the water. He managed to find Wooper and dragged him to land. Weepinbell then hit the Wooper with his Vine Whip attack, which was extra effective as Wooper, a dual type, was extremely weak against the sharp sting of the grass move. However, the Wooper was unexpectedly tough. He quickly shot back a Water Gun, which blasted into Weepinbell.

"Vine Whip again," Flo ordered.

Wooper dodged the vines and used Mud Shot. The move hit Weepinbell right in the eyes and the grass Pokémon blinked before moving forward sluggishly for another Vine Whip. Wooper managed to dodge the first vine, but the second one took out his feet.

"Now use Sleep Powder," Flo called with a sudden burst of inspiration.

Weepinbell sent the dust flying at Wooper. The little blue Pokémon was hit and struggled on for a moment, staggering from side to side, before it collapsed.

Flo whooped. She waved her hands in the air and did a little shimmying dance.

"Now the Pokéball," Kaida whispered pointedly.

"Oh, yeah," Flo said sheepishly, grabbing a spare Pokéball.

She threw the Pokéball at the Wooper, who was sucked in. The ball flashed several times before stopping. Flo had successfully caught a Wooper. John thought it was sort of a miracle, but he was too nice to say it. Nila, however, had no such restraint, and she muttered, "Finally. Moron."

Flo didn't hear as she was too busy dancing and celebrating.

"Well done, Weepinbell," Flo remembered suddenly. She cocked her head to one side and said thoughtfully, "I guess you are stronger now..."

Weepinbell preened happily as she petted it. Finally, some loving attention from his trainer.

Then her mood swung.

"I still miss my cute, baby Bellsprout though," Flo whimpered.

She looked like she might cry. Weepinbell deflated.

* * *

It was extremely windy at around eleven o'clock, and after a particularly strong gust of wind, Cyndaquil went tumbling down a slope. Kaida shrieked and ran after him. She held him closely, cursing the umbrella on his back. Yes, Cyndaquil was protected from the rain, but now he kept blowing away. She was forced to hold Cyndaquil tightly until the wind dropped and it was once again safe for Cyndaquil to walk with the umbrella on his back. There were still gusts, but not as strong as before, so they decided they should stop for lunch while the weather was more reasonable.

John had bread left over from the campsite, and Nila had picked up some cheese, so they melted some onto the bread using Cyndaquil's flame. It was actually very tasty, and even Flo munched it without complaining. While they finished with this, John attempted to make a quick soup. While Cyndaquil had heated the bread and cheese, he had also been drying so wood so they could make a fire.

As John cooked the rest of lunch, they put bowls out for their Pokémon as well, and the other Pokémon were introduced to Wooper, who seemed quite content with being there and scoffed down food happily. After he had finished with his food, he meandered around them, which meant they were forced to keep grabbing him to keep him out of trouble.

"He's almost as bad as Totodile," Kaida muttered, watching the water-ground type. At least Wooper wasn't quite as excitable.

Dunsparce appeared to be the only one who liked the rain – the clouds blocked out the sun and he was from a dark, damp cave – and so he went and slobbered around in it.

"It's hideous!" Flo whimpered, scuttling away from John's Pokémon. "Why did you catch him?"

"He's cool," John said, laughing at the expression on Flo's face as he stirred the soup.

"And John likes to freak you out," Nila added.

It was still drizzling so John still had problems with the fire, but he had managed to get it going. Finally, however, he managed to make _something_ and had them all test it.

"What do you think of it then?" he asked.

Flo tasted it. She smacked her lips together. "Not enough salt."

John added a sprinkling more to the soup and stirred it.

"How about now?"

She tried it again. "No, it still needs more."

He added more salt.

"OK," John said. "Taste it now."

Flo tried it again and thought about it deeply. Nila and Kaida raised their eyebrows at the expression of concentration on her face.

"No, sorry," she said. "You've still got to add more salt."

John sighed and put even more salt in the soup. "And now?"

"You're close," Flo agreed after trying it once more.

John added yet more salt. He sat back with a satisfied look on his face.

"All right, everyone, taste it now." He smiled. "I have to say," he said happily, "that I really think I've sealed the deal this time."

Flo licked a little more soup off the spoon. She paused. Then she shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "Now it's too salty."

John's expression dropped and for a moment he looked like he might murder her. He dished out soup for everyone and ate it mulishly. Nila and Kaida tried it. It was disgustingly salty. They were both very glad they had already eaten otherwise they would have gone hungry.

"Hey," Kaida said, "Come here, Flo."

Flo looked at her warily. "No."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Kaida said impatiently.

"That's always what you say right before you hurt me," Flo insisted.

"When have I _ever _said that before?" Kaida asked. "Look, just come over. Now!"

Flo scurried over. Kaida smacked her around the head.

"Ow!" Flo cried.

"Serves you right," Kaida said crossly.

The soup was gross because of Flo and now Kaida couldn't eat it. What a waste.

"Has anyone seen my guidebook?" John asked.

Nobody had. John eventually found it in Kaida's bag, which was a bit odd, because John didn't think he had put it in there by accident and Kaida hardly would have stolen it.

As they were packing up, a stronger burst of wind swept over them, and the next thing they knew Hoppip was squealing and flying away.

"Hoppip!" Flo cried. "What are you doing? Come back!"

"She can't," Kaida explained. "Hoppip is a light Pokémon. She'll get swept away in strong winds."

"We have to go catch her," John declared. "Totodile, stay and guard the stuff."

Doubtful at Totodile's ability, Nila said, "You too, Chikorita. Come on, Mareep."

They rushed off after Hoppip before Kaida could point out that it was probably a bad idea to leave Chikorita and Totodile together alone. The two would invariably end up fighting.

"Come on, Kaida!" Flo yelled urgently.

Kaida snapped back to reality, the thought of Totodile and Chikorita leaving her mind. She tucked Cyndaquil under her arm and ran off after the other three. Nila and John were far ahead but Kaida easily caught up with Flo. However, after only a minute or so of running and dodging trees, Kaida saw that Nila and John had stopped and were waiting for them.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"You can't give up!" Flo snapped.

"We didn't," John explained. "Uh... Look up."

Kaida realised that they had come to another clearing. She stepped forward into it and looked up. Above their heads whirled Hoppip. This was not the problem. The problem was that several dozen other Hoppip were also whizzing around the clearing, caught up in the heavy winds.

"Which one is yours?" Nila asked.

"I don't know!" Flo flailed. "I've only had her a few days!"

"No clues at all?" John sighed.

"It's difficult to see them up there," Flo defended.

"Well, I can't exactly make Hoothoot bring them all down one by one," John said impatiently. "Do you not even have a clue?"

Flo looked up at the mass of spinning Hoppip thoughtfully. "Well, it's not that green one," she said.

Nila banged her head against the nearest tree.

"Why don't you call to Hoppip?" Kaida suggested. "Maybe she'll reply."

Flo brightened at the idea. "I've got it," she said proudly. "Hoppip, use Splash!" At first there was no reaction, so Flo raised her voice to shrieking decibels. "USE SPLASH!"

One Hoppip began throwing itself about midair and Flo grinned triumphantly. However, mere seconds later, other Hoppip began to follow. Eventually, all the Hoppip above were using Splash. As they blew around the clearing like dust in a vacuum cleaner, they threw themselves up and down.

"Oh no," Flo said, disappointed. But then she said, "Hmm. It sort of looks like dancing."

Kaida feared Flo was plotting some sort of show using wind machines and a hundred flailing Hoppip.

"Dancing?" Nila snorted. "They look like they're having a fit."

After a few more minutes the Hoppip seemed to tire and stop. However, one little Hoppip continued on, determinedly throwing its body about. Flo squinted up at that particular Hoppip and realisation dawned on her face.

"That's my Hoppip!" she said, thrusting her arm out to point. "Definitely!"

Hoothoot launched herself from John's shoulder into the air. After batting a few of the Hoppip out of the way, she grabbed the Hoppip Flo had pointed to and brought it back down to earth, depositing it into Flo's arms.

"Don't let go," Kaida said, thinking it would be exactly like Flo to idiotically do so.

Flo peered closely at the Hoppip. "Actually, maybe it's not my Hoppip."

"Hop, hop!" Hoppip said, struggling in Flo's arms.

"You can find out by trying to put Hoppip back in her Pokéball," John told her.

Grinning, Flo used both hands to grab the Pokéball. Of course, Hoppip was released and at mercy to the wind again. Kaida, John, and Nila all dove for the Hoppip and clashed awkwardly in their attempt to grab her. Despite now having bruised knees and sore foreheads from the crash, they had all managed to get a hand on Hoppip and tugged her back down. Then they all glared at Flo, who was obliviously fumbling with her Pokéball. She drew it out and tried to return Hoppip to it, to no avail.

"Oh." Flo looked sad. "She's not the right one."

They all looked back at the whirling Hoppip, some of whom were now being carried over the trees and away from the clearing.

"Wait, wait," John said suddenly. "Isn't that Wooper's Pokéball?"

Flo's hazel eyes widened. "Oh yeah!"

John, Kaida, and Nila all heaved resigned sighs.

"That's why you put stickers on them," Kaida said slowly, as if speaking to a moron, which she was. "That way you can tell them apart." Every square inch of her Pokéballs were decorated. "Even Nila has numbers on hers."

"And colours," Nila said, pointing out the little round circles of colour she had put on each one next to the number. Very originally, Chikorita had green and Mareep had yellow. She planned to put their names on it when she found the right stickers.

Kaida rolled her eyes. That was hardly exciting. She had little flames and skulls and mini Cyndaquil for Cyndaquil, but Gastly just had the skulls and a few little cartoon Gastly she had picked up at the PokéMart in Violet City. She planned to decorate it more when she found better stickers. Perhaps she could get little purple swirls or some Haunter or Gengar! And who knew what Pokémon she would catch next and how she would decorate her Pokéball. She imagined little cartoon Ponyta and Rapidash or Growlithe and Arcanine, and who could forget a Vulpix and Ninetales...?

"I do have stickers," Flo protested, but she'd only put them on Weepinbell's Pokéball. It was covered with little dancing Bellsprout and gold stars. She hadn't got around to decorating Hoppip's and she had only just caught Wooper. She took the other plain Pokéball and tried to return Hoppip to it. This time she was successful. She beamed. "It _was_ the right Hoppip."

The winds had picked up and the Hoppip had moved on, twirling up higher into the sky and moving rapidly over the treetops. They watched the last of the Hoppip disappear before turning to return to where they had left their bags.

"Ooh," Flo said suddenly, causing them to turn back. "Another Mareep!"

They all looked to the opposite side of the clearing where a Mareep had emerged then glanced back at Nila's Mareep, who was standing by her side. The other Mareep was bigger and poofier than Nila's Mareep, and it looked quite angry. Two more Mareep emerged from behind the first Mareep. These two were more similar in size to Nila's. Despite the grumpy expression on most of the Mareep, Nila's Mareep ran forward happily to greet them. When the other Mareep ran to meet her halfway, they saw there were several more Mareep behind the first three. They were a range of sizes and shapes and all looked very pleased to see Nila's Mareep.

"This must be Mareep's flock," John said.

His words attracted the attention of the Mareep. Nila's Mareep was now in the middle of the pile, being smothered with attention from the others, but the Mareep closest to John swung an angry gaze on him and began to advance, the balls on their tails glowing as they charged up. John took a step backwards automatically, looking alarmed.

"Um," he muttered, looking at Nila. "They look pretty angry, don't they? Maybe they didn't like losing their friend."

Nila shrugged. "They weren't around when I caught Mareep." The Mareep's attention swung to her and she eyed them warily. "Maybe we should back up." She was feeling very aware that she had left Chikorita behind, and she wasn't too sure of Mareep's loyalty.

They started to back up.

"Mareep," Nila called. "Are you going to come back or not?"

The Mareep nearest to them charged.

"Run!" John yelled.

They ran through the trees as quickly as they could, but it soon became clear that Flo was lagging behind. They all slowed down to stay with her, but the Mareep were gaining on them. They weren't quite back to where they'd left their bags – and the useful powers of Chikorita and Totodile – when they were blocked off in front by Mareep who had managed to go by them. They were now surrounded on all sides as Mareep circled them. Flo squeaked in fear.

"Release Wooper," Kaida said. She got no reaction so she elbowed Flo sharply. "Flo! Look alive!"

Flo squeaked again before releasing the water-ground Pokémon.

"Try to get in the way of any attacks," Kaida told the Wooper, who bobbed cheerfully in response. She wasn't sure if he understood what she'd said, or whether he'd obey, but at least she had tried.

"I thought Mareep mostly lived in grassy fields," John mused to himself. "Here there are just trees and rocky slopes."

"Not the time John," Kaida said through gritted teeth, "not the time." She released Gastly from his Pokéball and, to Cyndaquil, she said, "Go to Nila and listen to her." She chose Cyndaquil because she thought, quite rightly, that Gastly was likely to play up.

"Watch out," Nila warned. "You can get paralysed from their Static ability."

The Mareep advanced. The first to attack sent a Thundershock at Cyndaquil, who dodged it and retaliated with Ember. The Mareep he struck was singed and furious and it retaliated with another Thundershock. This time the attack struck and Cyndaquil yelped. He was quick to reply with another Ember, which struck the Mareep beside the first one.

Meanwhile, Kaida was having Gastly use Night Shade. It zoomed around the Mareep, startling them and attacking them from behind. Occasionally he was struck by part of an electrical attack, but he was good at evading them. Unfortunately, he did keep having to return to block attacks from going too close to Kaida, which was mostly when he received damage.

Flo's Wooper had a surprisingly powerful Water Gun and, since he was immune to electrical attacks, he just needed to fend off their tackles. Occasionally he was bowled backwards, but he recovered quickly and didn't seem to wear down. Beside Flo was John, who was having the worst luck. Hoothoot was weak against electricity and had sustained a fair amount of damage, but he could hardly use Dunsparce as the Pokémon was likely to blink at their attackers and go to sleep.

The fluffy flock of Mareep continued to advance, pressing the humans and their Pokémon closer and closer together. Finally, when the humans all had their backs to one another, the leader of the Mareep (the large one that they had seen first) stepped forwards. The Mareep parted to let their leader through. It strode forwards confidently, electricity crackling, and faced the ones who had stolen its friend.

Flo whimpered. John gulped. Kaida fretted over the safety of Cyndaquil. Even Nila looked nervous.

"'Reep, 'reep!"

A smaller Mareep – Nila's Mareep – charged forwards from the back, butting into the larger Mareep. The larger Mareep looked cross, but Nila's Mareep nudged it again. Then she stood between her trainer and the rest of the crowd. Kaida wondered what the Mareep were communicating to each other, but it seemed clear that Nila's Mareep, at least, did not want anything to happen to her trainer, which was a relief.

Then the large, leader Mareep shot a bolt of electricity at its smaller kin. Mareep looked shaken by the attack, but she quickly responded with an even stronger bolt, striking the bigger Mareep forcefully. The larger Mareep lowered its head and wandered forwards, touching foreheads with the smaller. Then it raised its head and cried out, "Ma, ma!" With that, it turned around and trotted back into the forest. The other Mareep lingered for a few seconds before following, occasionally shooting longing looks back at their friend.

"I guess Mareep is staying then," John summarised.

Kaida wasn't sure how Nila didn't sweep her Pokémon off the ground with joy. She would be crying tears of relief if a similar situation had happened with her beloved Cyndaquil. She finally remembered Mareep was likely still prone to giving static shocks, and then she remembered it would be very out of character for Nila too. Ah well, Kaida thought, picking Cyndaquil up as soon as he extinguished his flame, Nila was just a strange one.

Nila did stoop down, however, as the others started to walk back to their bags, and said, "I'm glad you stayed."

Mareep nodded contently, butting her nose into Nila's hand. Nila received a small shock, but didn't comment.

They returned to where they had left their bags and stopped dead. The bags had all been moved from their original position – probably due to a scuffle – and Chikorita was sitting triumphantly on top of the back of Totodile, who was flailing his arms and legs uselessly. There was a puddle of water on the ground underneath Totodile, suggesting he had tried to Water Gun the ground in an attempt to free himself.

"Chikorita!" John chastised, plucking her off Totodile. "Bad Chikorita."

Nila rolled her eyes. "I expect Totodile deserved it."

John couldn't really argue with that. He watched as Totodile got back up and started to taunt Chikorita by dancing right in her face. Chikorita waved her leaf in warning so Totodile skipped merrily away, quacking loudly and annoyingly. Yep, John was sure he had deserved it, but he still felt obliged to stick up for the troublemaker.

"My necklace is gone!" Flo cried suddenly.

"Maybe you're wearing it," Nila said patronisingly. She rolled her eyes once more as Flo felt around her neck and pulled out a silver chain.

"No," Flo insisted, looking up from where she was checking up on her bag. "Not this one. The other one was gold with a green flower. It was in here. I know it was."

Kaida sighed and they all began to hunt around for the necklace. They had no luck. It didn't look like it had fallen out during Chikorita and Totodile's fight. It had probably fallen out of Flo's bag on the way and it was hopeless now. They would never find it.

It wasn't until Kaida, checking her own bag for damage, pulled out her Pokédex that she spotted a glint of gold. She pulled it out and frowned. How in _Johto_ did that get in there?

"Flo, I've found your necklace," Kaida said, spreading the gold chain out between her fingers.

Flo rushed forward to gratefully receive it, which of course meant she snatched it with so much force that she almost broke it.

"Where was it?" Flo inquired.

"In my bag."

If Flo said anything about Kaida stealing it then Kaida thought she might do something drastic. Luckily, Flo just frowned.

"That's weird," she said. "The guidebook and now this. How are they getting there? Why would anyone want to put them there?"

"Well I don't know, do I?" Kaida said.

She looked at Nila. Nila looked offended.

"It wasn't me!" Nila said.

Kaida looked at Weepinbell. Perhaps it was a Pokémon. Weepinbell has been very depressed recently – not that she blamed it with Flo's behaviour – and perhaps it had decided to cause some mischief in revenge?

Nila laughed. "I think we're forgetting the real thief here." She gestured to John's Hoothoot. "Or has everyone else forgotten how we first met her? Not to mention how she got us kicked out of Flo's house." Nila thought back to the apple juice on her head. It had been a traumatic experience. Her hair had been all sticky and gross… And then there was John's tale with all of the contents of Vera's jewellery box!

"What incident?" Flo asked, knowing about the jewellery but not how they had met Hoothoot.

She was ignored as Kaida and Nila looked at Hoothoot suspiciously and John rushed to defend his Pokémon.

"Hey," he objected. "Hoothoot has been very well behaved since then!"

It had been just over a day since John had found the jewellery, so that wasn't saying a lot.

Hoothoot turned her beak up, mimicking her owner in looking offended.

"That's all a façade," Nila told him. "She's still a kleptomaniac. Only this time she doesn't have a nest so she is just putting it in Kaida's bag."

"If Hoothoot was the thief why wouldn't she just put it all in _my _bag?" John asked.

"Because you already have enough in that bag," Kaida pointed out.

They all turned to look at John's backpack. It was huge and looked like it was bursting at the seams, yes, but there was an extraordinary amount shoved into that bag.

"Look," John said firmly. "It isn't Hoothoot."

Kaida sighed and decided it was best not to argue anymore. She turned to look around for Cyndaquil's umbrella. She had taken it off at lunch, and she could have sworn she had put it straight into her bag. As she daydreamed about how cute Cyndaquil had looked, she hunted around her bag. However, after a few minutes she still couldn't find the umbrella. She frowned. She looked under the bag. She looked by her sleeping bag. She looked in Nila's bag. It was gone!

"Cyndaquil's umbrella!" she cried, shaking Nila's shoulders desperately.

"Go away," Nila groaned, trying to swat Kaida away. Why would she know?

Kaida ducked a flying hand and shook Nila harder. She knew that Nila was crabby and didn't like being touched, but, _seriously,_ this was important! The umbrella was gone! She couldn't believe her horrible luck. How could the thief have struck to take _this _of all things? It had been expensive and difficult to find! Now… gone! Cyndaquil needed it! Everything was ruined…

"Hey, what is this?" Flo said, confused.

She lifted something from beside her sleeping bag. It was the umbrella. Kaida gave a relieved sigh and lunged for it. However, when she got her hands on it, she realised that something was very, very wrong.

It had _holes_ in it.

Holes that were definitely caused by a set of sharp talons.

When had Hoothoot even had the time to do that?

"John!" Kaida roared.

"Huh?" John's voice sounded from several metres away by his own bag and the menace in question. "What?"

"Your Hoothoot is _dead_!"

* * *

It was late in the evening when, as the four continued on the road to Azalea town, they were confronted with an odd sight. They had been listening to Flo complain about how hungry she was and how she wanted to stop for dinner – despite John constantly telling her there was a campsite a mile or so on where they would be staying the night – when they stumbled across a fairly large building which had been put up in amongst the never ending rows of trees.

"Well, this isn't in the guide book," John said, confused.

John turned the book sideways and upside down, looking for a sign that a large shop was on their route. Why would there be such a big building in the middle of nowhere? John couldn't make heads or tails of it. There was nothing between Azalea and Violet Town as far as he knew. What was it?

"When was it written?" Flo asked, trying to get to the book. She had no luck as John was still waving it around.

"It has failed me," John cried dramatically. "How can I trust anything it says again?"

"Is this a guidebook or a relationship?" Kaida asked Nila, looking at John with a puzzled expression.

He had now thrown the book at Flo and refused to look at it as she tried to point out it was written two years ago.

"Me thinks they need some marriage counselling," Kaida muttered.

She nudged Nila in the back. Nila had been looking upon the scene in disbelief.

"Ah, right, you baby." Nila sighed. "It got one thing wrong and you are going to hold it against it for the rest of your life?"

"I guess not," John whispered.

He was still obviously hurt that his precious guide had lied to him. He grabbed it from Flo and held it close to his chest, as if giving it a hug.

"Um, OK… I'm going this way," Kaida said, quickly pointing to the building, desperate not to watch John and his guide book make up.

"Yeah, yeah I'll come with you," Nila said quickly. She pulled a disgusted face at the scene before hurrying off after Kaida and her Pokémon.

Flo was also not keen to see this display of affection and raced after the other two girls.

They reached the building and saw several Pokémon loitering outside. They peered inside through revolving glass doors and saw there were people and Pokémon in there, too, so they released their own. When they saw what was behind these people and their Pokémon they realised what the building was.

"Wow!" Kaida gasped as she entered the building.

There was a large escalator directly in front of them with a sign pointing to the stairs and lifts by it. They could see up onto the first floor, and it appeared to be very much like the ground floor: it was filled, as far as they could tell, with aisles and aisles of various types of produce. By the escalators there was also a large sign detailing what was on each floor.

"It's a shop?" Nila said, surprised, as she caught up to Kaida.

"You know what that means." Kaida grinned.

Flo watched in amazement as the grin was returned in equal enthusiasm by Nila. It was a strange, strange look on Nila's face.

"Shopping time!" they both squealed, jumping up and down.

"OK. I don't know just what happened," Flo said, looking deeply disturbed, "but I'm guessing it's not good for my health."

She poked and pulled her ears, which appeared to have been offended by Kaida and Nila's squealing. Nila gave her one last Cheshire cat type grin before running off into the store with everyone's Pokémon following her. Kaida laughed at her friend's madness before turning to Flo, but ended up laughing at her shaking figure.

"You'll get used to the smiles and weird faces after a while," Kaida said. It still was a bit odd when Nila acted that way, but she'd seen it a few times over the years.

She gave Flo one last laugh before running into the depths of the shop.

The shop only consisted of two floors, but they were both huge. Kaida wondered at the sight. There were a fair few shoppers in there, which surprised her as they were out in the middle of a route. How did they get such good business? After she had browsed for a while, she grabbed a basket and decided to find her Pokémon so that she could get some custom things for them. Signs on the wall promised cheap or free home delivery (depending on how much was spent) so she wouldn't even have to carry around everything she bought. However, she found not a Pokémon in sight, even when Flo had caught up to her. She, too, had located none of their Pokémon.

"Maybe they are all with Nila?" Flo suggested, standing on tiptoes to try to see over the shelves.

This, Kaida thought, was pointless, as she had tried that tactic earlier and found she was too small to see and, since Flo was a smidgeon smaller then her, it definitely wouldn't work.

They found Nila in the food corner staring at the fridge. John, who had finished his joyful reunion and entered after them, already had a large basket full of food with which he planned to make a feast at the campsite later that night.

"Would you just choose?" John moaned.

"But the choices," Nila whined at him.

"It is apple juice versus milk. It isn't which move to teach the ultimate Pokémon or anything." John groaned, slapping his head with the palm of his hand.

"It's not _just_ apple juice versus milk," Nila hissed. She looked back at the choices with eyes so wide that she looked like a Poliwag. She continued, "It is organic apple juice versus vanilla milkshake."

"Hey, guys, sorry to break up the life or death decision," Kaida interrupted.

"No, please do, for the love of all that is Pokémon, please do," John begged.

"Right..." Kaida said slowly. "Anyway, do you guys have any of the Pokémon?"

"No, I thought they were wandering downstairs with you," John said. He rubbed his head, unsure, before turning to ask Nila. "Oh for the love of…" John exclaimed. "Stop stroking the fridge!"

"But they are calling to me," Nila croned.

Her eyes were still massive. The proportions were freaky.

"Someone just kill me now," John cried, rubbing his eyes. "I'm stuck in a shop with a complete idiot!"

"She's not an idiot," Kaida argued. "She just likes milk a bit too much. She's, uh, a bit of a cat."

Flo nodded in return, but still edged away from Nila, who was now purring.

"Right," Flo said, clearing her throat. "Now let's go find our Pokémon."

As Nila still refused to budge from the food area, they left her to finish the shopping. Armed with John's list, he hoped that she would at least move from the fridge to pick up everything else. John decided he would cover the rest of the upstairs to search for their Pokémon, while Kaida and Flo split up downstairs. Their mission proved successful straight away, as they found Wooper playing on the escalator. Standing on one step as it rose, then jumping down when he felt it was high enough. He looked thoroughly amused.

"Simple tastes, simple trainer," Kaida murmured to herself as Flo struggled to get through the crowd of people to get her Wooper.

Upon retrieving Wooper, Flo placed him in her basket, where he rocked happily back and forth.

"I hope they don't make me pay for Wooper," Flo pondered.

Kaida restrained herself from whacking the idiot girl.

A scream echoed across the floor.

"Ah, stupid Slowpoke," Kaida cursed.

Kaida tore towards the screaming to find Gastly terrorising women in the changing rooms. Kaida looked in horror as she saw that whenever a woman came out to look in the mirror, Gastly was the only thing she could see, pulling gruesome faces.

"Gastly." Kaida shouted. "Get over here now!"

She scowled as Gastly floated over, looking disappointed that Kaida hadn't seen the funny side.

After another fifteen minutes of walking around, they had found Totodile splashing in the water fountain, Mareep snuggled in a basket of wool, and Hoppip 'splashing' around in a display of flowers.

"Where is my baby Cyndaquil?" Kaida whined. "I hope he's OK. What if he got lost?" She dropped her basket containing Totodile in horror. "What if someone stole him?"

"Cyndaquil is probably fine," Flo assured her. "Let's just keep looking."

Kaida nodded.

Flo sighed, swinging her Pokémon lovingly. She continued, "Now apologise to Totodile for dropping him… And I swear I just saw something over there…"

Flo handed Kaida her basket before disappearing into the gardening area. Kaida, meanwhile, helped a dazed Totodile back into her basket, apologising for her sudden outburst, to which he just quacked in acceptance.

A yell then projected over the shop. Kaida had to hold back laughter as Flo reappeared with Weepinbell attached to her arm.

"Look, I have a Weepinbell for an arm!" she cried.

"Maybe it doesn't like your arm warmers?" Kaida suggested, now trying to shush the manically cackling Totodile.

"Impossible!" Flo said, aghast at the very idea. She added, proudly, "No one can resist my lovely arm warmers."

She saluted with her free arm, showing off her bright pink arm warmer.

Kaida decided to ignore her. Instead, she turned to more important matters.

"But I still don't have my Cyndaquil!" She stomped her feet. "Oh, Cyndaquil, where art thou, Cyndaquil?" she sang loudly.

"I am here, dear Kaida," a familiar voice said.

"Wait… Cyndaquil can't talk," Kaida muttered, confused.

She turned around slowly and was confronted with her Cyndaquil in the arms of the one and only Matt. His Growlithe barked at her happily.

"You're right," Matt said, "they can't, but I guessed that would be what he wanted to say."

Matt smiled, handing over a wiggling Cyndaquil as he tried to get back to Kaida.

"But how did you know he was mine?" Kaida spluttered, still in shock that Matt – _Matt _– stood in front of her.

"Just a gut feeling," Matt replied. "I mean, I have seen him before once. Then I heard your lovely singing voice and I knew it had to be you. Moving on from nursery rhymes, I see."

Kaida bent her head so that her hair covered her cheeks. They felt so hot that she thought she would burst into flames.

"So umm... What are you doing here?" she asked tentatively.

"You know, just shopping."

He pushed back his hair and grinned again as his fringe fell gracefully just above his eyes. Kaida almost melted on the spot. Unfortunately, she was brought back to reality when Flo butted in.

Flo grinned manically. "Yeah we were shopping too, weren't we _Kay._"

_Oh, she did not just call me Kay, _Kaida thought, thoroughly annoyed that Flo was ruining her perfect moment. She shot one of her most deadly glares.

Matt nodded before turning back to Kaida. He had just opened his mouth when Flo interrupted again.

"Hey, you remember me," Flo said. "From Violet Town. We met a few days ago."

"Oh, umm, yeah," Matt said uncomfortably. "You were wearing a lime green Tutu? Fee wasn't it?"

"Flo actually," she said, unperturbed. "And, yes, that was for my dance act which was tragically ruined when my Bellsprout evolved!"

Flo waved the Weepinbell that was still attached to her arm.

"And," Flo continued, pointing at Kaida dramatically, "it was all because of her!"

"You evolved her Bellsprout?" Matt asked, half sounding amused and half sounding amazed at Flo's dramatics.

"It was an accident," Kaida pleaded.

Why, oh, why was Flo embarrassing her in front of Matt? What had Kaida ever done to have the universe hate her so much? Why was it spiting her this way?

"You threw a bin at me!" Flo howled.

Matt snorted. "You threw a bin at her?"

"She deserved it." Kaida folded her arms.

Matt laughed and joked, "So it is true what they say about redheads then." Then, more seriously, he added, "Did she insult Cyndaquil?"

Kaida grinned. He had only met her twice – and that was including this time – but already he knew her likes and dislikes. Clearly, it was fate.

"No, it's because I said–"

Kaida's eyes went wide. She couldn't let him know the real reason. Luck was on her side today, though, when Flo and Weepinbell were sent flying by a wide-eyed Nila. Yeah, Nila could be all stoic and unimpressed until it came to shopping. Then her inner beast was unleashed and there was really no stopping the craziness.

"Look what I found!" she said happily, holding up a lacy black bra and knickers set. "It's in the sale and in your size. Do you want it?"

"Nila! I'm a bit busy!" Kaida screeched, pointing at an amused Matt.

"Oh. It's you," Nila acknowledged, recognising him from the video Flo had shown her and John, before turning back to Kaida, thoroughly uninterested in the fact that the love of Kaida's life was less than a metre away. "But look, it's less than half price!" She then bent in and whispered, "Matt seems to like it!" before quirking her eyebrows suggestively.

"All right, fine" Kaida growled back in a hushed voice.

Nila grinned. Her persuasiveness had worked. She ran back to the clothing area.

"By the way," she called back. "They were having a sale on tampons so I picked you up a load. I know you are on soon."

"That's it! I'm going to kill her!" Kaida fumed. Just because Nila didn't need to worry about those things – yet – didn't mean she had to torment Kaida about them.

They continued their shopping trip after John had freed Flo from the grasp of Weepinbell. He had found the remaining Pokémon upstairs, playing in the children's ball pit. Kaida thought she was in heaven as she walked around alone with Matt, their fire Pokémon trotting along beside them. She was even able to get Cyndaquil a new umbrella, which he was delighted with. That horrible Hoothoot wouldn't get it this time…

She also found Gastly his own personalised bowl, which was black with purple smoke swirls. Needless to say, she made him promise that he wouldn't try to eat the bowl again. Matt suggested she pick up an Everstone for Flo, so that if she got another Bellsprout she could prevent it evolving forever. He himself lamented that he couldn't find a Fire Stone – they were in short supply in Johto – as he discussed the pros and cons with Kaida about evolving his Growlithe. Kaida relished in every moment, but she knew it would have to end sooner or later.

As everyone met outside after the shopping was over, Kaida tried to summon the courage to ask Matt for his number. Cyndaquil stared up at her, confused to see his normally calm trainer – well except for the _occasional _outburst – bouncing on the balls of her feet and playing with her fingers. Nila, meanwhile, was ecstatic about her purchases (although her face had now returned to its normal grumpy expression, much to Flo's relief) and was sitting on the grass with Chikorita and Mareep, making her way through a packet of large, soft cookies with the vanilla milkshake bottle set beside her. John was talking to Matt about the best way through Union Cave as he had the latest copy of John's guidebook. Apparently they had finished stringing up the lights now so there was a direct and easy path to Azalea Town instead of going around. The road that had been there for a while was too dangerous to follow underground: it had not been made for pedestrians, but at lot of people had tried it – quite dangerously – which had made them create the path.

"Sooo," Flo trilled, dancing over to the frantic Kaida with a large grin on her face, the bin incident apparently forgotten. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Kaida whined, pulling at the skin of her cheeks, giving her a strange, stretched appearance.

Matt was now saying goodbye to John and Nila. He was heading to Azalea City, too, but he said he was travelling with people who wanted to go through Union Cave at night as there were better Pokémon, whereas they were going to the campsite and attempting it in the morning. Kaida wasn't sure why different Pokémon would come out a night during a cave – surely it was dark all the time – but she didn't ask.

_It's now or never, _she thought, sighing. Flo danced by Kaida to sit beside Nila on the grass, amused by what was going to happen. Nila was still too busy eating to comment, but she did watch the scene out of the corner of her eye with some interest. Kaida gulped. Matt was two steps away…

_Here goes nothing._

"CanIhaveyournumberplease?" Kaida said, far too quickly, as Matt looked on, extremely confused.

"What?" he questioned.

"She wants your number, idiot!" Nila shouted, as she continued to pick out the chocolate chips from her cookie.

Kaida blushed, mortified.

"Oh sure," Matt said, smiling. "I was going to give it to you before I left Cherrygrove, but I forgot at the cafe and didn't know where you were staying."

Kaida had to stop herself from doing a victory dance. Lugia was smiling on her today.

As they were exchanging numbers, Flo put her hands in the shape of a heart and began to mime to a song that Kaida could guess that she didn't want to hear.

"What's she doing?" Matt asked, bewildered.

"Umm. It's a sign for, er, good luck," Kaida lied, glaring at Flo.

"Oh right."

Matt smiled and returned the hand heart to Flo and mouthed the words, 'good luck.'

"Oh. My. God" Flo waved her arms like a bird. "I think he fancies me!"

Nila, who had been observing the scene, snorted.

"Yeah, what gave you that idea?" she demanded. "The fact he forgot your name or the way he hasn't taken his eyes off Kaida all day?"

Flo wondered briefly how Nila knew that Matt had forgotten her name before brushing this aside, deciding that Nila was just omniscient. Flo then realised that she knew the answer to all the questions...

"It's the arm warmers," Flo concluded. "No man can resist them!"

She held her arms out so that they could admire them. John quirked an eyebrow and muttered something about them being more of a man repellent. Flo remained oblivious.

"Bye guys!" Matt said. "See you again."

Matt waved before he bent down to hug Kaida. He whispered something in her ear.

"Bye, Matt," Nila, Flo, and John called back.

"Bye, Growlithe," Flo added.

The dog Pokémon barked in return and then raced off after its master.

"Oh, _Ho-oh_, she's stuck." Nila sighed.

Nila was slightly amused by how still Kaida had gone. Her cheeks were now glowing so red that Nila thought they resembled Pokéballs. She would have to point that out later. Cyndaquil was tugging the bottom of Kaida's combat trousers, looking for attention, and probably believing her to have been victim to a horrible paralysing attack. After all, the last time Cyndaquil had seen Matt, Kaida had acted more than strangely…

"I'll get her," John said.

He raced over and picked Kaida up fireman-style, which she did protest about loudly, and he then proceeded to throw Kaida and himself down onto the grass in front of Nila and Flo.

"Tell me," Nila ordered.

"He hugged me." Kaida sighed dreamily.

"Yes, I have eyes. I saw that," Nila said dryly. "But what did he say?"

"He said that he had fun today and to call him if I ever needed help or someone to talk to."

Kaida blushed as she remembered the scene and drifted off into a daydream about them travelling the world together.

John blinked. "Well, on that note, I think it's time we set up camp for the night and get a late dinner. Come, on, we've got a way to walk."

John strolled on down the road. Flo tugged Kaida up and led her after him, amused by Kaida's daydream state, and pleased that she didn't get injured for once.

"I've eaten too much," Nila moaned. "Someone carry me."

But everyone continued walking. Unfortunately for her, Totodile had been behind her and, with one almighty shove, managed to make her roll down the slope of grass.

"I'm going to strangle that thing," Nila snapped, as she ran down the road after Totodile and the rest of their, er, _merry _group.


	12. Day 9

(DAY NINE)

There was a shortcut through the mountain between them and Azalea Town that was much quicker than taking the route over or around it. The shortcut was a tunnel through the Union Cave, slowly widened out by hikers and builders to make for easier passage. Lights had been hung up to highlight the direct route through so people would not get lost in the passages surrounding it. John had informed them all about the history of the page with his precious guidebook, claiming that there were exactly two hundred and fifty-one lights; this was intentional, he explained, as that was considered by most experts to be the number of Pokémon native to Johto and Kanto.

"We shouldn't need my torches then," John said, patting his backpack with one hand, "but I have them just in case."

"So we'll be prepared just in case every one of two hundred and fifty-one lights fails?" Nila said dryly.

"Exactly," John said.

The entrance to the tunnel was covered with a wooden sign that read 'UNION CAVE', but the paint was fading so, from a distance, it looked more like it said 'ION CAV'. Outside the Union Cave tunnel was a tall, robust man with hiking gear on. The man looked to be having quite a serious conversation with his Geodude, but he straightened up as soon as he saw them.

"Whoah," he said, raising both arms before him. "You lot ought to be careful if you're gonna be going through there." He jerked his head towards the tunnel. "A lotta people have been hurt in there recently."

"How?" John inquired.

"Well, I don't rightly know," the hiker said, scratching his dark beard, "but it seems to have been some sort of Pokémon attack."

The group exchanged glances. John didn't look phased in the slightest; he knew the wild could be perilous, but he'd known that when he'd left home. Nila and Kaida, too, were not too bothered, but they were more intrigued with the idea of a powerful Pokémon roaming about. Flo, however, looked twitchy and terrified; she didn't want to get attacked by the ferocious man-eater that the hiker had _clearly_ just described.

"Well, we still have to go to Azalea Town," Kaida said decisively. "Besides, there are four of us and we have our Pokémon. We'll be fine."

The hiker shrugged. Next to him, his Geodude tried to mimic him, but this was a little difficult considering that Geodude didn't exactly have shoulders. "Well, go ahead then," the man said, "but make sure you stick to the lit up path. It's when people went exploring that the accidents seemed to happen."

"Trust me," Flo said, her voice jittery and rushed, "if I have _anything _to say about it then we'll be in that cave and straight out as soon as possible."

She shuddered strongly at the thought of ugly cave Pokémon that might jump out and attack her. They would be there in swarms, she thought, disgusted. She certainly hadn't been planning to go nosing around in the deeper, darker parts of the cave even if they hadn't been warned of these attacks. Straight in and straight out...

"Well, if you're sure," the hiker said.

"Of course I'm sure!" Flo squeaked. "Caves are evil, evil places."

"What are you talking about?" John demanded. "Caves are fun." His eyes shone with the usual fervour that he got when about to learn something new or exciting. "There is so much to discover! And all those rocks... those beautiful rocks..."

When everyone gave him funny looks, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um," he said, coughing, "but this time I guess we'll just have to go straight through."

They thanked the hiker for the advice and turned back towards the cave. Flo lingered outside the entrance the longest, but once the others were in she scampered after them, eager to insert himself into the middle of the group where she could feel the safest.

A few of the lights were broken on the way, but overall visibility was all right. They were treated to a short lecture from John about how the lights were checked and replaced where necessary every fortnight by somebody from Azalea Town. It was in the town's interests to keep the lights up and the passage to Azalea open. While there were roads to Azalea, the passage was the best way for anyone walking, and Azalea did want more people to visit their town and bring in commerce.

Cyndaquil didn't like the dark, damp cave anymore than Kaida did. While Kaida wasn't freaking out like Flo – who had stuck herself firmly in-between John and Nila and jumped at every shadow – she much preferred the open air. Kaida would occasionally reach up to comfort Cyndaquil with a stroke down his back; a lot of fire-type Pokémon were unsettled by not being under the sun's rays and her little Cyndaquil was no exception. The same was true for Chikorita, who looked like she might be feeling worse; however, unlike Cyndaquil, Chikorita was trying to hide it and put on a strong front. In contrast, Nila genuinely seemed unaffected, but Nila's indifference didn't stretch to her Pokémon, and, after a short stretch of walking, she patted Chikorita on the head and recalled her to her Pokéball, giving the excuse that Mareep could use her electricity to light the way where Chikorita could not. Flo had her Wooper out, who unlike his trainer, was dancing along happily, quite pleased to be out of the heat in the cool expanses of the cave.

Meanwhile, John took happiness to a new level. He was ecstatic. On more than one occasion he whipped out his magnifying glass to inspect different types of rocks, and he often bemoaned that he couldn't take samples. He also looked like he might slope off down other, unlit paths a few times, but each time he caught himself and forced himself to continue onwards. When he was examining rocks, however, it was often Kaida and Nila who were forced to grab his arms and drag him away, which usually happened when Flo's whimpering reached a level that they could no longer stand.

Time seemed to pass strangely inside the cave with the lack of natural light. However, after a while, they were interrupted by a shrill shriek. Kaida looked at Flo. Her terrified gaze seemed to confirm it had not been her, and, besides, it had come from too far away for that...

"What was–" John began.

The shriek erupted from the depths of the cave again.

"I think it is coming from down here," John said, gesturing to one of the passages leading off to the side.

They peered into the inky darkness. John got out his bulky, metal torches and passed one around to each of them. He turned on his and used it to try to look for the source of the scream. He came up with nothing.

"We should go take a look," Kaida said.

"WHAT?" Flo yelped. "No, no, no," she wailed. "We can't!"

"Someone might be in trouble!" Kaida shot back. "We can't just leave them."

"We can go to the other end of the tunnel and call the police," Flo insisted. "If we go in there then we might get hurt, too, and then nobody will come to rescue us."

Kaida shook her head. "Who knows how long that will take?"

"Hmm," John said, speaking slowly as he considered their options. "Flo has a point, but so does Kaida..."

Nila snorted in laughter. The other three turned to stare at her.

"This isn't funny," John said, now affronted. "Someone could be in danger – someone who needs rescuing!" The thought seemed to appeal to a love of heroism, so Kaida thought he might be turning to her side of things rather than siding with the wimpy Flo.

"You're all idiots," Nila said. "That is _not_ a human noise."

As if on cue, the shriek rang out again. Embarrassingly, it seemed like Nila was right. Now it sounded more like a crabby Zubat than anything else.

"Ah," John said, his face slightly flushed. "Oh well."

Flo breathed a sigh of relief. They would not be going into the uncharted, unlit parts of the cave on some foolish rescue attempt then.

"Come on," Nila said. "Let's move on."

But before they could leave, the shriek rang out again, and for some inexplicable reason, Wooper let out a trill of excitement and dashed down the passage towards the sound. John attempted to grab Wooper, but the small, blue Pokémon evaded him easily.

"Well, now we have to go down there," John said. He got up off the ground where he had fallen trying to catch Wooper and brushed off his knees. He wielded his torch like a weapon as he marched forwards in the direction that Wooper had run off in. He looked back once to say to Flo, "You can stay here if you want."

Flo seemed to consider it, but then realised she would be left all by herself. Besides, it was her Pokémon that was now missing. She scurried after the others, but she complained all the way.

Eventually, they had to stop running. They had lost track of the tiny Wooper in the darkness and didn't want to miss anything. John kept his torch directed at the floor while he instructed Kaida and Nila to point theirs ahead. He tried to instruct Flo, too, but she had a death grip on her torch and swung it around sporadically at every little sound, whether it be the distant sound of water dripping or the flutter of Pokémon deeper into the cave.

"Look," John said suddenly. "I think I see footprints."

He shuffled after them. It was difficult to tell if the footprints were Wooper's, however, as they hadn't spent too much time examining Flo's new Pokémon's feet. With a jolt, Kaida remembered that her Pokédex stored footprints of Pokémon – or at least footprints of the Pokémon that had been recorded; there was no such entry for rare Pokémon like Lugia. She pulled out her Pokédex and clicked to Wooper's entry. She held the device next to the trail John had found, but was honestly finding it a little difficult to tell if the footprints matched up. John took a look and even he seemed a little lost.

"Well, it looks close enough," he decided, "and it's not like we have another trail to follow."

The trail ended at a ladder. Ladders were more common in caves nowadays as hikers put them in to aid people in their exploration. However, one always had to be careful when using them, as John knew all too well from his extensive reading about surviving in the wild. They could easily weaken over time.

"Help me test it out," John said, putting a foot down onto one of the rings to test its strength.

"It looks quite new," Kaida said as Nila went over to help him, adding her own weight to the ladder.

"You have to be careful," John insisted.

John clipped his torch to his belt and then began to climb down. The ladder, thankfully, held.

"You want to go next?" Kaida asked Flo, assuming she'd want to be somewhere in the middle.

Flo looked even more horrified than before. She stared down the hole in the cave in absolute terror. She made several high pitched squeaking sounds before she recovered the ability to speak.

"You think he went down there?" she demanded.

Her voice almost as pitched as the squeaking had been. Kaida privately suspected it would soon reach a level that only dogs could hear. Or, unluckily, they would end up disturbing some Zubat, who would proceed to fly at them and would end up freaking Flo out even more.

"Why not?" Nila asked.

"It's a long way down!" Flo waved a finger at the hole and continued her hysterics. "Wooper is tiny!"

"Most Pokémon can land a lot better than people can," John called up from below. "Come on, hurry up. I think I hear something."

As if on cue, the shrieking noise from before rang out again. Flo yelped and threw herself towards the nearest solid mass, which turned out to be Nila. Nila, however, seemed to have anticipated Flo's reaction and she ducked out of the way just in time and Flo ended up flailing about in thin air.

"Oh for the love of Lugia," Kaida muttered.

Flo was clearly going nowhere soon so Kaida descended the ladder instead, not so magnanimously leaving Nila to deal with the hysterical wreck. Cyndaquil clung grimly to Kaida's shoulder tightly as they climbed down, but as soon as they were near enough to John, Cyndaquil leapt over to him instead. Only when Kaida reached the bottom of the ladder did he return.

Kaida looked up and called, "Nila? Flo? You coming?"

"In a second," Nila replied, sounding extremely irritated.

As Kaida stared upwards, John surveyed the area around them. They were on solid rock, but around them there were deep pools of cold, dark water. Dunsparce, John thought, would feel right at home. John even spotted a few stalagmites and stalactites; in fact, he was about to lecture Kaida about their formation in limestone when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a large, dark shadow moving steadily towards them. John swung his torch upwards just in time to see a blue head with an open mouth and a glow of–

"KAIDA. DOWN!"

John grabbed Kaida by her backpack and pulled her to the floor. Cyndaquil let out a small yelp of dismay as he, too, fell to the ground. They had moved just in time. A beam of ice shot over their heads and passed through the ladder behind them. When John glanced up, he saw the bottom of the ladder was completely covered in ice; there was no climbing down it now.

The Pokémon – and if John wasn't mistaken then it was a Lapras – opened its mouth again for a second wave. This time, Kaida rolled over into John and knocked him out of the way. John was then quick to pull them both to their feet, uttering only one word as he did.

"Run!"

Faintly, John could hear Nila yelling down at them from above, a frantic note to her tone, but he didn't dare waste a breathe replying: they had to slid over the slippery rocks whilst evading being struck by an Ice Beam attack. He and Kaida were skimmed by an attack – this time, thankfully, water – just before they threw themselves behind a pillar of rock to escape. The next ice beam broke two stalagmites next to them in half.

"I can't see a way out," Kaida hissed.

She hadn't had much time to look, admittedly, but when she swung her torch about all she could see was water.

"So we either beat this thing or get frozen down here," John muttered, summing up their position. "Why is a Lapras even down here?" he wondered. "I thought they lived in the sea!"

"It's not exactly the time to think of that!" Kaida said, smacking him across the head. "Focus!"

Kaida ducked her head out to look at the Lapras, but she couldn't see anything in the darkness. John pulled her backwards as an attack went skimming past her face.

"OK. So it can see us, but we can't see it..." Kaida murmured.

The torches weren't enough and they couldn't light a fire... but Kaida didn't need any of that when she had Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, use Flash!" she ordered.

Cyndaquil leapt away from her and scrunched up his tiny face. A second later, his back was flaring and light was emitting from him, filling out the corners of the cavern. Kaida glanced around to take another look at Lapras. Now she could see it, she almost wished it were dark again. It looked like a normal Lapras in most ways; it had the huge, hard shell, and the long, arched neck. However, it had a frenzied look in its eyes and Kaida couldn't help but feel it was seconds away from literally frothing at the mouth.

"This thing is _insane_!" Kaida yelled. "Stupid water Pokémon!"

"We need to use everything we have," Kaida instructed John.

Even in their dire situation, John couldn't help but joke, "Dunsparce?"

"Obviously not Dunsparce!" Kaida flailed. "Just get Hoothoot and Totodile out here." She grabbed for her own Pokéball. "Go, Gastly!"

Beside her, John realised his own Pokémon and uttered instructions. Hoothoot went reeling over Lapras's head to peck at the back of the Pokémon's neck where Lapras could not reach her. Meanwhile, Totodile went dancing merrily around the stalagmites, quacking as he went, to divert Lapras's attention.

"Cyndaquil, use Ember from a distance," Kaida said, "but don't be caught by any attacks. Stay under cover!" Even if the attack didn't knock poor Cyndaquil out, it would probably blast him backwards into the water and then she'd have to dive in to save him. "Gastly, just... do whatever you can do get that thing's health down."

Gastly's eyes somehow appeared devious. The ghost Pokémon puffed himself up and then, with a little cackle, flashed a darker shade of purple. After the attack – whatever it was – he floated down, seemingly weaker, which meant Kaida could put all the pieces together: he had just used Curse.

"Good work, Gastly," Kaida said. "Use Night Shade if you can, but don't over exert yourself... we don't want you being hit now."

Gastly seemed to nod.

Lapras's health was slowly but surely draining away due to the effects of Curse. It was now more of a waiting game, Kaida thought. Eventually Lapras should tire out, but would they be hit by its powerful Ice Beam and get frozen by the ladder first? Kaida ducked her head out to watch Totodile prancing about, but saw Lapras was currently distracted as it was being electrocuted. Kaida's eyes shot to the hole where the ladder was. Mareep was poking its horned head down and sparking happily away. A few leaves, courtesy of Chikorita, came flying down, too. As soon as there was a pause and Lapras managed to recover, however, it shot an ice beam towards the hole that sealed it up completely. Kaida cursed under her breath. It looked like they wouldn't be getting anymore help from above; Nila didn't exactly have the firepower up there to melt that ice any time soon.

But Lapras was weakening, although this didn't mean the attack that hit Totodile looked any less brutal. Thankfully, being blasted into the water didn't hinder Totodile too much, and he quickly swam to shore and got up on the land again. He performed a mini dance of rage before he shot a Water Gun back in Lapras's direction. Lapras seemed largely unaffected by this, and it dove back under water again, only to emerge seconds later, resulting in a wave of water sweeping towards Totodile and knocking him off his feet.

"We need to get Lapras out of here," John said.

"You're _still _thinking about that?" Kaida exploded. "We have more pressing concerns!"

"It's a lot weaker now," John argued, "and I think it is only mad because it is trapped down here. One of us should catch it. We can set it free when we get outside."

He couldn't _help_ but think about it even while they were in danger. How it had got down in the cave was a mystery, but his mind kept jumping to one conclusion. Someone surely had released it down there, which was an act of extreme cruelty. Who knew how long it had been stuck down in the cave, longing for the open water?

"Fine," Kaida groused. "You're buying me a new Pokéball, though – if it works or not!" Pokéballs were expensive, damn it! He wouldn't get out of repaying her.

She grabbed a Pokéball and stood up from their hiding place. She threw the ball at the Lapras and watched as the red enveloped it. Both John and Kaida crossed their fingers. If this didn't work then Lapras would probably wake up and go on another rampage. However, the ball stopped flashing. Lapras was caught. John got Totodile to collect the Pokéball and the blue Pokémon dashed over to return it to Kaida.

"A Lapras..." Kaida muttered. She'd never exactly thought she'd own a water Pokémon, no matter how temporary it was. She glanced to her other Pokémon. "Come on, Gastly," she said to her exhausted Pokémon. "Take a rest."

She would have liked to offer the same thing to Cyndaquil, who was panting lightly, but unfortunately she needed him to help melt down the ice blocking their exit. John recalled Hoothoot, but said Totodile could help with getting rid of the ice, too. Anything warmer would help melt it, so while a Water Gun attack might not be as effective as Ember, it would still help.

"Here, Kaida," John said, holding out an ice pick that he had just whipped out from his bag. "We can try to shatter it."

Kaida stared for a moment before accepting. How did he fit all of his things in that backpack? Yes, his bag was massive, but it didn't have infinite space!

From above, Nila had been chipping away ever since Lapras had sealed the hole up. Naturally, Flo had been no help at all; instead she spent her time nattering on about what they would do if Kaida and John were dead. Nila had developed such an intense eye twitch that she thought it actually threatened to dislodge said eye from her face.

"Flo!" Nila snapped eventually. "Shut up!"

Flo ignored her.

Nila eventually managed to make a small hole in the ice, and when she peered down it, she was relieved to see Kaida and John were both all right and were working to melt the ice at the bottom.

"No injuries?" she called down.

"Nope!" Kaida replied, looking up at her.

"Good," Nila said.

Suddenly, Flo shrieked. She grabbed onto Nila's back as she yelled, "WHAT WAS THAT?"

Nila swung her torch in the other direction and saw, most irritatingly, Wooper. He hadn't gone down the hole after all. Instead, he was cocking his head at them, looking very bemused.

"I can see Wooper," Nila said through the hole. "I'll be right back."

But as Nila approached Wooper, the little Pokémon ran off again. Nila looked back to see Flo dithering by the hole and her annoyance increased tenfold.

"Flo, get over here!" she ordered. "I need your stupid Pokéball to get Wooper back!"

Flo hesitated, but she did run over to Nila. Nila, with Mareep on one side and Chikorita on the other, hurried down the tunnel in the direction Wooper had gone in. It wasn't long until she saw an angry yelp, which she suspected might be the sound of a Union Cave native getting harassed by the inquisitive pain-in-all-their-behinds. She rounded a slight curve in the tunnel to see this was indeed the case: Wooper had climbed on the back of a now rather agitated Sandshrew. Eventually, Sandshrew managed to get Wooper off and it threw the other Pokémon to the ground. Before either Nila or Flo could do anything, Sandshrew's claws gleamed with a dark energy and it slashed at Wooper.

_That_ was Night Slash. Nila had watched enough battles on TV that included dark Pokémon to know that. At this point, it didn't matter much that Sandshrew wasn't a dark Pokémon itself; it new a dark move and this was enough for Nila at the moment.

"Chikorita, use Razor Leaf!"

Sandshrew was caught off guard and the attack seemed to do a considerable amount of damage. However, Sandshrew wasn't down and out yet; it launched itself at Chikorita, scratching away at the Grass Pokémon. Chikorita managed to get away so she could fire another Razor Leaf. Sandshrew tried to use Night Slash to bat a few leaves down, but the majority hit and Sandshrew tumbled over backwards. Chikorita didn't wait for Sandshrew to recover; she tackled the other Pokémon as soon as it was up and sent Sandshrew reeling backwards. A third Razor Leaf seemed to do the trick; Sandshrew looked dazed enough. Nila took the opportunity to throw the Pokéball at it. The Pokéball flashed several times before stopping. Sandshrew was caught.

Wooper let out a whoop of delight.

"Flo!" Nila said crossly. "I just had a whole Pokémon and you _still _haven't returned Wooper to your Pokéball?"

"Ah, oops." Flo fumbled for her Pokéball and ended up dropping it on the floor. "Aack!"

Wooper, however, wandered over to her and nudged the Pokéball with his nose, returning himself to his ball. Apparently, he had had enough exploration and it was now time for a rest. Flo picked up the Pokéball, looking unreasonable triumphant, as if she had done something right. Nila bit back the urge to yell at her again and went to retrieve her new Pokémon.

"Come on," she said once she had clipped Sandshrew's Pokéball to her belt and had returned Chikorita to her ball for a rest. "We have to go back to Kaida and John."

By the time they got back the hole, the majority of the ice was cleared up. Kaida and John scrambled back up the ladder and Nila helped pull them up the last stretch.

"Can we get out of here now?" Flo said, her voice little more than whimper.

"Yes," Kaida said firmly. She was eager to see the back of this cave.

John looked a little disappointed but conceded. They returned to the main tunnel as quickly as they could and sped along it. John was still John, however, so did end up inspecting a few more rocks, but they managed to make reasonably good time, even if night was falling by the time they got to the other side so they had to assemble the tent in the dark in the tiny campsite south of the tunnel. John started on their dinner while Kaida and Cyndaquil helped teach Nila and Mareep the basics of Flash just in case they ever got into a similar cave-related incident again.

Tomorrow, Kaida thought after they had eaten their dinner and got into their sleeping bags, they should reach Azalea Town, which meant the next leg of the Pokémon League challenge: Bugsy. Her dreams that night were happily filled with Cyndaquil and Gastly defeating hordes of bug Pokémon, and in the end, they were dreams of her with a shiny new badge. She could hardly wait.


End file.
